Comic Sins
by OperationPDM
Summary: Intending to end the slaughter of his race, Sans finds a way to travel to a timeline in which his enemy would be vulnerable, in hopes to put an end to the wicked human. When his plan doesn't go quite as expected, Sans finds himself with a surprising new way to avenge what he has lost. (More chapters soon, there's more... sorry for the hiatus.)
1. Static

**Chapter 1. Static**

A soul is composed of love, mercy, and compassion. It is unclear the nature of souls, as humans have proven their souls do not need these things to exist.

* * *

Static raced across the television. Black and white pixels scuttled across the dirty screen with no rhyme or rhythm. Its disjointed patterns were dizzying, and pictures flickered back for a brief moment when the tele's frame was struck. A tiny fist pounded on the surface attempting to make the machine function once more.

A cartoon appeared back on the screen as prompted. The images still ridden with static and the audio fading in and out, at least now the viewer had something to watch. Slumping back on the sofa, the small child squinted at their favorite show, noticing it was merely a re-run. With a small sigh, the young one rose once again.

Bare feet slapped the kitchen floor as the child approached the fridge. Before they had opened the door, a pink note had caught their eye. In large letters, they could see the word very clearly. "Frisk". The child peared closer to read the smaller letters. "There is leftovers for you in the fridge. I'm working late again tonight."

The small child huffed. Rolling up their long sleeves, they reached inside to see what was left for them. The young one brought the lone container out to inspect it, only to find it was yesterday's leftovers as well. "Spaghetti," the child whispered in disgust. Placing it back where it belonged, the small one crawled back onto the musty couch. They would rather just not eat tonight.

The child stared blankly at the flashing screen, its colors grossly saturated, and let their mind go numb. They have nothing better to do right now. Or later. Or ever.

Commercial break, as implied by a friendly announcer. Images advertizing tantalizing toys and scooters and cartoons went by. A commercial for a new episode of another cartoon came into view. The child liked this show as well, one that featured a boy and a girl befriending the grim reaper. A hilarious cartoon, the child thought, when their heart skipped a beat.

A painful clench in their stomach, the child found themselves feeling rather ill. An unusual feeling poured over them as they analyzed what had caused such trouble. Fear. Why were they feeling fear? Nothing had changed. Everything was the same.

And then they remembered. Just the night before, the innocent one had experienced quite a nightmare. Details fuzzy, they contemplated the sights and sounds from the night's previous terrors. Black and white. And a hint of blue. A creature with a sinister smile. A beast out to kill them. A monster determined to take their soul.

Nonsense. It was only a dream. It can't hurt anyone. Even still, the child found themselves breathing rapidly, heart heavy, staring at the TV, yet staring at nothing. They did not know why they felt this way. Why a silly nightmare would haunt them the way this one was. Perhaps it just felt too real. That was all.

* * *

The child was awoken by a sudden loud cry from the television. Startled, they picked up the remote and turned the sound low. They must have fallen asleep. Being lulled by the TV's hums was a soothing gateway to a nap.

Still, the young one couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. It had felt like the world was against them, that their life was unfair. And it felt that perhaps there was someone, or something, out to make it worse. It always felt like this.

The child's thoughts were interrupted by a wave of static concealing the cartoons once again. The chaotic pixels swayed in every direction, and they picked up the remote in frustration, prepared to shut the machine off for the night.

The power button in hand did not work. They pressed it again and again, before they looked up at the screen in confusion. A white letter appeared on the fuzzy screen right over the racing pixels. "F". Curiously, the child leaned in to be sure if they were seeing the monitor correctly. More letters appeared sequentially, until it spelled a word. "FRISK".

Not tearing their eyes away from the sight of their own name, the child reached up their sleeve to pinch themselves, only to be sure that they were in fact dreaming. Frisk winced in surprise when their own nails had painfully dug into their skin.

Fear.


	2. Still

**Chapter 2. Still**

The illuminated letters began to shake violently, glitching out and in again. A deep sound murmured from the TV set. The machine sparked and popped, and low frequencies filled the child's head until everything ached. Frisk clapped their hands over their ears attempting to numb the throbbing pain.

Frisk looked back at the screen. The letters were changing slowly, spelling out an unfinished sentence. "DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO GREET A," was all that appeared, before a menacing silhouette came over it. Although the pixels shook wildly, the black and white image was still.

The child sat very still and tried not to breathe, as if such actions would provoke the television further. Frisk held their breath for a long, numbing minute. Nothing happened.

Nothing still.

Maybe whatever it was fell asleep. Maybe it went away.

Frisk exhaled softly.

A foolish thing to do, they soon discovered, as a skinny, crooked hand shot out from the television screen. A bony arm followed, landing a grip into the carpet in order to pull the rest of its corpse-like body through. Immediately following was a very round skull, one that hung downward like the living dead. The bones of its neck pulled upward so its face could gaze at its target. Empty eye sockets pierced its sites on the young child, its cheek bones pulled unnaturally to the sides for an uncomfortable grin.

A low sound escaped the skulls teeth. "don't you know how to greet a pal?" The other arm broke through, reaching out its carpals in a familiar gesture. Frisk sat curled up, terrified and confused. Were they supposed to shake this monster's hand? "that's okay," the creature mumbled. "i got it. you little brat."

The machine sparked in a small flame, and horrible sounds of grinding metal erupted as the living skeleton struggled to get its large rib cage through.

Frisk looked to their surroundings to see if there were any escape routes, but to no avail. The child was paralyzed. When they looked back at the invading corpse, it had already made its way in, bony fists placed inside the pockets of its hoodie.

The monster's cervical cracked as it turned towards the young one. The skulls left eye suddenly lit up, like a candle inside a pumpkin. The eye was round and deadly, and it smoked in an unnatural hue of blue.

"now," the creature began deeply. "i'm gonna freaking kill you."


	3. Monster

**Chapter 3. Monster**

The menacing grin grew even wider, and the monster raised one hand, striking the air. Shadows of femurs, ulnas, and tibias apparated from nowhere and spun rapidly, before shooting at the small child with no mercy.

The innocent one did not dodge the attack. Frisk did not know what to do in such an obscure situation and simply took it. Each hit was excruciating. Each jab begged for a sharp cry, each hit pulling the tears from their eyes. Every swing made Frisk clench their chest in agony, and every strike was more brutal than the last.

The attacker hesitated. Frisk looked up at their assailant, vision blurred from watery eyes, and saw the singular cyan glow of its empty eyes. Its stare looked through the child with much ferocity. A look that was in a great deal of pain. A look that judged harshly. A look that could see deep into one's soul.

"why," the beast uttered. "why aren't you fighting back, kid?" It asked, never letting its guard down.

Frisk coughed hoarsely, and tried desperately to find their voice. "I'm..." the child choked. "I'm not gonna fight you..."

"i'm not falling for that, buster." The bony creature retorted. "you and i both know how this goes down. and it ends now."

"I don't know what," The small one coughed, tasting blood. "...you're talking about. I… I don't even know who you are."

"let's not do this." The skeleton leaned down low as to speak quieter, hands in its pockets. "you're not much a talker, usually." It said, condescendingly. The child didn't respond. They just looked up in utter terror and defeat. "nothing you do now can fix what you did." The beast's eye changed to a blinding yellow. "it's time for you to pay for your sins."

Two silhouettes of what Frisk could only call hell beasts emerged, and each opened their jaws wide, a blast of light escaping their throats. Each attack hit Frisk while they were down, and the blaring beams burned horribly. A high pitched, but quiet, scream escaped the child's lips, and the screams afterword didn't even make a sound.

Frisk opened their eyes to see if it was finally the end. The attacker's face was right in theirs, its smile drooping slightly. "hehehehe," It chuckled. "that looks like the face of..." The bones stopped for a moment, as if concentrating on something. "no. it can't be."

"I don't understand..." The child whimpered, streams of tears falling to the shaggy carpet.

The short skeleton's face lightened up in horror. "you… do know who i am, right frisk?" It got a subtle shake of the head in response. "no. you have to know. i'm your pal, remember?" The child just squinted their reddened face.

The monster stood up furiously and looked back at the TV in disbelief. Slouching, he stood there awhile, contemplating. "frisk." He began again. He turned back toward the fragile child lying on the floor and huffed. "how many times did you reset?"


	4. Mountain

**Chapter 4. Mountain**

The corpse awaited patiently. He towered over the innocent human, standing quiet and still. The deafening silence echoed throughout the house, the low hum of the television fading back in to reveal time's passage.

"hehehe..." The monster chuckled deeply. "you… are the one who killed… papyrus..." He choked. "right…?"

The small child struggled to get a better look at the interrogator. "Wh… what's 'papyrus'?" They asked, meekly.

The monster's face fell. He couldn't bear looking at the human any longer, or rather, letting the human see him. His crooked hand came up to his frontal bone, shading his face from his victim. The skeleton sighed in discomfort, and his grip dropped down to conceal his teeth.

The monster dropped both his arms, ending his ill intentions. He placed both patellas to the carpet and humbly bowed his skull. "can we… start… over…?" He almost whispered.

Frisk turned up in confusion, but was willing to listen. Not as if they could move. Merely the thought of shifting was painful.

"oh, right." The skeleton remembered. "i got something for ya. it's not much, but i think it'll help." He reached inside his own rib cage, pulling out something small that Frisk assumed was the monster's own organs. He placed the item near Frisk's face and they saw that it was a… hotdog…? They weren't sure. "do you like these? my personal recipe."

Frisk reached up and pulled it closer with their tiny fingers. The child sniffed it in disgust, but they didn't really have room to be picky. Besides, they were quite hungry, and anything beats two-day-old leftover pasta.

The human took a small nibble from the monster's offering. The child noticed a sweet release in their own skin. Bruises and cuts from the back of their hand began to fade, the clenching stings quieting down. Before they knew it, they had finished off the hotdog, their veins pumping with energy. Their bones filled with the will to keep going.

Frisk sat up. They observed their surroundings awake and alert, trying desperately to understand how their night ended up with them sitting on the carpet of their living room with a breathing skeleton as a guest.

"how you feelin', kiddo?" The beast spoke up, nervously.

The innocent one gathered their thoughts. "Who are you?"

The skeleton beamed like the humans words were the best news in months. "i'm sans! sans the skeleton." He introduced, his phalanges in the child's face anticipating a greeting in return.

The human reached out their hand cautiously in response, and an eager grip caught them by surprise. Before Frisk could mention the squeezing pain of their hand, a muffled noise filled the air. Bubbling and cracking, the sound was fleeting, and rather quite pathetic.

"hahaha!" He busted in. "the old fart button in the hand trick!" He shouted a little too loudly. "gets 'em… every… time." He continued, quieter and quieter, awaiting a laugh or a chuckle or… something.

Frisk saw the creature fade, and attempted a fake laugh. But it wasn't enough. The skeleton sunk into his own despair.

"so that's it then." Sans murmured. "i can't even make someone else laugh… let alone myself."

"No, no. It was funny." Frisk assured. "It just… needed more..." They struggled to find comforting words. "...less murdery." Frisk screamed internally. The atmosphere was both awkward and terrifying. They didn't know what this beast intended to do.

"th-thanks, buddo." His grip loosened. "you always were a good sport."

Frisk had to chime in. "Sans..." They tried the words. "Do you know me or something?"

Sans looked back up in horror. "you know me, don't you? what timeline is this?" But Frisk just shook their head. "where are we right now? is this toriel's house?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Skeleton, I don't know what you're talking about. This is my house."

Sans stood up in denial. "you mean… in the human's world? we're on the surface?!" Frisk looked at him confused, but not denying his notions. "frisk!" He demanded. "is this… a timeline where you don't fall in the ruins? where we never meet?"

"Ruins?" The human replied. "You mean the weird rumors about that mountain?" Frisk looked out towards the window.

"yes, yes." The skeleton begged. "mt. ebott? you know it?"

"Well, yeah. I see it everyday on my way to school. A few days ago, I thought about..." The child hesitated. "Going up there and seeing it for myself."

"oh." Sans uttered. "oh no. i _am_ in the wrong time line." He reconed. "and now i'm messing up yours."


	5. Brother

**Chapter 5. Brother**

The skeleton curled up in itself and whispered unintelligibly. Heavy mutters faded in and out, but Frisk thought they caught a few words. "that damn flower..." But this did not make sense to them.

Frisk leaned in closer, the monster having forgotten that they were even there. Unnoticed, the human offered a friendly jab to his humerus attempting to get his attention. Sans raised his skull back up, piercing eye sockets now in view. "it's everything i have ever wanted." He uttered.

"What is? You want the mountain?" Frisk asked, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"n-no..." The monster sighed. "i've… always dreamed of coming to the surface." Sans admitted. He looked out the night time window longingly, but forced himself to tear his gaze away. "i've always wanted to escape the underground. and i've always wanted… friends like you to be there with me."

"...Friends?" The human retorted.

"but it's not worth it if i can't share it with my brother. everything is meaningless now."

"Why not?" The child asked. "Can't you just go get him from your portal thingy?"

Sans looked over the innocent one and sighed heavily. "you're so naive." He muttered. "i envy you."

There was a long silence.

The human itched their shoulder nervously. They were very tired and just wanted to go to sleep. However there was still a monster in their living room that they needed to attend to.

"frisk." The creature spoke up. "my brother is dead."

Frisk could hear the lump in his throat. Their heart skipped a beat. How is a person even supposed to respond to an answer like that?

"Pa..." The human began, uncertain. "Papyris…? Was that his name?"

Sans let out an unsteady chuckle. "papyrus." He corrected. "only the coolest guy you could ever meet."

"Wow, really?" The child perked up, still a little scared. "I would have loved to meet him." They continued, trying to appease the skeleton.

"you still could." Sans suggested with a grin that was almost sinister.

"I don't follow..." Frisk replied, growing uneasy. They still felt a tingling sensation as if another hell beast was going to come out and blow their face off at any moment.

"you could go up that big mountain right now. you could see papyrus and make the right choices and earn more friends than you know what to do with!" The monster sunk into himself again, over thinking the world he sits in. "i could see papyrus..." He trailed off.

"I could… I could really do that?" The child was now given conflicting ideas.

"no. i… i'm not supposed to be here. i'm not supposed to be in this timeline." The skeleton stood up. "i'm messing up your timeline, kiddo. i shouldn't even be here." He turned his back to the human. "maybe there's still a happy ending for you. this is clearly where you're meant to be." Sans began to shake in his slippers. "i should really go."

The skeleton began to walk towards the television when he felt a sharp tug on his hoodie.

Sans turned around with watery eyes. "what are you doing, kiddo?"

The human leaned in, and without any warning, wrapped their small arms around the monsters rib cage. "I didn't understand a thing you just said." The human confessed. "But don't give up, wherever you are, okay?"


	6. Choice

**Chapter 6. Choice**

The child's warm embrace sunk deep into the monster's heart. His bones began to slouch under the pressure, and his relaxed arms came up to hug the human in return.

"f-frisk..." The skeleton began. "i-i just can't help thinking..." His voice started to shake. "what kind of world the underground is without you. i'll never know."

The human looked up at him perplexed.

"i mean, you have such an amazing impact on the people around you." Sans said with certainty. "you affect the lives of so many."

This puzzled the child. "What are you saying, Sans?"

"human." Sans announced. "just one person makes all the difference. don't let anyone ever tell you that you're not important."

Sans squeezed his bony arms tighter before letting go. He turned his body away, but could not tear his sight from the innocent one.

"Sans." The human interrupted. "What's all this… timeline business?"

The monster looked down at the young one a bit addled. "do you know what time travel is, frisk?" Sans felt that was a dumb question. Of course they knew. The human could time travel themselves, right?

"Of course I do. I see it on TV all the time."

"well," Sans exhaled. He let himself have a seat on the couch, slouching from all his aches. "what i'm dealing with is a lot more complicated than that."

"Oh." Frisk sighed. "How's that?" They asked, taking an uncomfortable seat next to him.

"do you know what parallel universe theory is?"

Frisk could sense the bewilderment on their own face. Perhaps it was a little beyond their own understanding.

"okay. say you were trying to decide what cereal to have for breakfast this morning. and you're between flower flakes or yumi-o's. which do you choose?"

The child was caught off guard by the question, but pleasantly answered anyway. "Yumi-O's!"

The skeleton reached up and rustled the child's hair playfully. "hehe, good choice."

Frisk stretched upward and attempted to straighten out their hair, smiling. Finally, the tension began to fade.

"now, you still could have just as easily chosen flower flakes, but you didn't. however you just made a choice with another equally pausable outcome. and now there is another universe that exists, where everything is exactly the same, except you chose flower flakes. maybe the two worlds aren't that different, but none the less, both universes exist besides one another."

Frisk sat up trying to wrap their mind around this presented new concept. "Whoa."

"precisely. maybe their futures aren't that different. maybe what you had for breakfast doesn't impact your day or your life. or maybe it does. perhaps the flower flakes get stuck in your teeth, or perhaps you choke on them."

The human put their hands up to guard their neck in dismay.

"haha, don't sweat it, pal." Sans assured with a weak smile. "you'll do great things in your life. and if you just make the right choices… i'm sure you're gonna have a good time."


	7. Future

**Chapter 7. Future**

The human smiled at the skeleton. "Thanks, S-Sans..."

The two sighed deeply in unison, and tension filled the air of the room once more.

"this was… nice." Sans said quietly. "getting to talk to you again. the real you. even though you're not."

"You're not making any sense, Mr. Skeleton Man." Frisk interjected. "But I'm happy to help, in any way I can."

Sans rose up from the couch with a final-looking stance, bony hands resting in his pockets. "it's been a pleasure, but i really gotta go now." He uttered sadly. "just pretend none of this ever happened. it's all just a bad dream. and hey, if you don't like it, just reset, okay?"

Frisk got up from their seat abruptly. "What do you mean 'reset'?"

Sans stopped in his tracks. "...you know. reset?" He asked, muddled. "you've never died before?"

The human shook their head.

"listen, kid. just forget what i said, i'm in too deep as it is." Sans made his advance towards the TV and looked down at the racing static. "but… be good… won't you?"

"Are you leaving?" Frisk asked with lament. The monster nodded, not looking at them. "What are you going to do?"

Silence.

"listen, kid." Sans announced. "do as i say, not as i do." The television sparked, making the child flinch. "what am i going to do, now?" He chuckled darkly. "i'm going back to hell."

Frisk sincerely didn't know what to say to this. They just felt their own heart sink deep down. They wanted to help the creature.

Sans turned back around, but his eye sockets were empty. "i'm going to bide my time. i'm going to wait for that kid to give up and go home. or i'm going to wait for my body to turn to dust. heh. whichever comes first."

"Sans," the human spoke up before they knew what they were doing. "Whatever you're facing, you don't have to do it alone."

The skeletons teeth drooped slightly. "what are you saying, frisk?"

"Let me come with you."

The monster took a step back, a bit caught off guard. "no, no no no, frisk, you can't do that." He murmured, tiny white specs returning to his eyes. "you gotta stay here. have a future. you don't want what i have."

Frisk took a step forward with certainty. "I do. I wanna help." The innocent one looked down at the shaggy carpet. "I wanna help in any way I can."

"kid..." He whispered.

"And you're wrong." Frisk announced. "I don't have a future here. I feel like I was meant for something bigger. I feel like… I have somewhere more important to be." The child glared down at their small hands. "If what you said is true, then I shouldn't even be in this dump of a house. I should be out there, making a difference." They looked back up with a sincere smile. "I wanna make people happy."

"oh frisk..." Sans weeped. "you have made this bag of bones very happy. i promise you that." He inhaled softly. "but in this timeline-"

"In this timeline, I'm not meant to go to Mt. Ebott." The child interrupted. "In this timeline, I have no future. I make no impacts on people. I'm not important." Frisk put their foot down. "But in other timelines… I can feel it. I'm important. I have the power to make a difference. And I'm determined to prove it."

"frisk… you want to just… disappear?" Sans said with sorrow. But he did not get an answer in words, only an expression filled with raw certainty. "oh." He concluded. "i can't change your mind?"

"This is what I want to do."

"i see." The monster chuckled. "i can't exactly say no to a human with that much determination." He shut his eye sockets in deep thought.

Sans walked towards the television and stuck his bony foot into the screen, its flashing pixels chaotically dancing. He grinned widely and held out his phalanges invitingly. "gimme your hand."

Frisk nodded and stepped ever closer. They placed their palm in his hesitantly. The small, crooked bones wrapped around Frisk's hand tightly, and the screen glowed brighter and brighter. Soon, the two were entrapped in a vortex of spinning light. The abyss of white noise flashed rapidly, and a gust of wind blew all around them. "i know a shortcut."


	8. Cold

**Chapter 8. Cold**

Frisk took a deep breath in both preparation and surprise. The connection of their entwined hands was unbreakable, and the child felt a rapid chill run up their spine. A horrible, sinking feeling blew over them, and Frisk felt the floor vanish beneath their feet. The unexpected sensation made them remember to breathe.

Cold.

The human looked down at their bare toes as they floated aimlessly through the void, guided only by a new, chubby acquaintance. The skeleton had a fixed smile, and his eye sockets remained as empty as ever.

Colder.

The howling winds grew ever violent, and the human felt their sweaty grasp slip, just a little. Fearing the mere thought of separation, Frisk pulled their arm close to their body, in turn pulling the monster closer, too. He followed along, pulling himself toward the human in a safe embrace. The raging atmosphere threatened to tear the two apart, but they would not have it. The skeleton wrapped his bony arms around the child like an attempted shield.

Yet colder.

The shivering pair hit the ground hard. Dazed, the innocent one cradled their spinning head trying to focus on their new environment. Rising up, Frisk could see the short skeleton beneath them, seemingly unconscious.

Sans didn't move. His eye sockets were closed, and out from his nasal bone and his teeth... were what appeared to be blood. But skeletons couldn't bleed, Frisk thought. Could they?

"S...Sans?" Frisk called. "Are you okay?"

The monster did not make a sound, nor a single movement.

"Oh… oh no, you're hurt…?" The child started up. They sat up looking for signs of any passer-bys. "Help! Can somebody help?!" The child cried.

But nobody came.

Frisk stood up, a little too fast, and harnessed their youthful energy. They grasped Sans by the humerus, ready to drag him away from their landing spot.

The small human dragged the corpse with them through the snow to the nearest sign of shelter. A homely brick building, with the letters "INN", written in english.

Frisk barged in clumsily, and although it was warmer indoors, it was also very dark. Someone must have shut the lights off before leaving, perhaps.

"Anyone home?" Frisk called. But of course, no answer. They sighed heavily, and heaved the body more and more inside. The child made their way behind the counter, grossly short of breath.

Sans was plopped neatly underneath the counter, comfortably concealed in darkness. Frisk peared around and spotted what had appeared to be a small rabbit sitting in a tall chair by the desk. They reached out their small hands cautiously to touch it. A pillow, no, a stuffed animal. Just a toy running the desk. A decoy.

"Perfect," Frisk huffed. "I hope this helps." They gently placed the small toy beneath the monsters skull for a make-shift pillow. Though subtle, the human could see Sans' rib cage rising and falling, as if he were breathing. Frisk let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"You need rest, friend." The child told the sleeping skeleton. "I'm gonna go look for help. Stay here."

Back up on their feet, the child shivered sharply, wrapping their arms around themselves. "Oh, woops." They looked down at their cold, bare feet. "I didn't bring shoes with me..."

Frisk leaned into the darkness where Sans rested. They felt around blindly for what kind of shoes the skeleton might be wearing. The child flinched when they had found the creatures tibia. "S-sorry..." They whispered. Feeling downward, they discovered something fuzzy, something that just slipped right off of his tarsal bones. "S… slippers?" Frisk questioned. But beggars can't be choosers.

Dawning a new of slippers, Frisk was ready to face the world for new adventures. They opened the creaking front door, determined to find their destiny.

A blistering wind rushed in and went right through their pajamas. Frisk hunched over, gripping their arms numbingly. The hairs on the back of their neck stood on end, and they shivered until they ached.

Moving forward despite the piercing cold, their slippers sunk several inches into the snow, lumps of frost getting inside the fabric. "This is… w-where I'm meant to b-be..." The human uttered shakily, seeing their own breath. "...r-right?"


	9. Vacant

**Chapter 9. Vacant**

The snow crunched beneath every step taken by the small human. Every movement forward was quiet, but the sounds were made louder and louder by the pure emptiness of winter air. The poor protection on the child's feet became more apparent as they trudged on. Their legs ached badly, and they could no longer feel their own toes.

Frisk hobbled their way to another small building, rubbing the sides of their arms vigorously. The innocent one peared through the front window, cupping their hands around the sides of their face, attempting to see inside.

The building was dark inside. All of them were. Frisk could see nothing. They approached the front door and reluctantly touched the ice cold door knob. They jiggled the handle, but to no avail. It was locked from the inside.

Frisk stroked the front door gently, feeling its unusual ridges. There were lines strewn all across the doorway in random patterns. Cuts. Slashes. It had appeared as if someone had carved away at it in desperation to get inside.

The human backed up as to find more clues. There was a sign mounted at the top of this building as well. "LIBRARBY". Frisk huffed in confusion. Was the sign spelled wrong on purpose? Now they couldn't depend on everything down here being in proper english.

Frisk moved on.

Every building towards the east was more cut up than the last. Doorways were covered in thick scratches, windows were broken in, personal belongings were stolen…

A jarring crunching sound. Frisk looked beneath their slipper to see a small pile of trash coated in a layer of fresh snow. The heap of useless garbage was not alone. Bundles of trash, large and small, were scattered on the ground throughout the town.

The child proceeded through the abandoned, little village. Every last home was dim and vacant. Each house echoed in their owners absence, and each was more heavily vandalized than the last.

One last building.

A small house, neatly decorated with Christmas reefs and colorful lights. Warm and inviting. Perhaps that's what it used to look like, at least. The string of lights were cut up in many pieces, and they did not glow. Only the decorations that were hung up high still adorned the cozy home. Who ever had done this must not have been tall enough to get to everything.

Frisk politely examined the front entrance. It was locked.

There was another way inside this house, however. The front window was not only busted through, but was broken very cleanly, its sharp edges removed and bits of glass swepped away. Someone else used this entrance first.

With their numb hands, Frisk grabbed the edge of the window sill and firmly hoisted themselves upwards, stumbling all the way inside, landing roughly on the cold floor.

A loud silence.

The pressure of the air weighed over the child's head. This house was as dark as can be, the fear rising in the human's chest as they wandered into the unknown.

Frisk grabbed the wall and felt around, feeling the surface for something, a light switch hopefully. To their surprise, they found one.

They heard a clicking sound. But no lights came on. They flicked the switch repeatedly, begging for a light source, but nothing.

As chilling as it was inside the creaking house, Frisk simply had no choice. They blindly found their way back to the front door, tripping over debris, and located the lock. They let the door fly wide open, a fresh gust of icy wind blew through the house, and everything fell colder than before. But at the very least, there was now natural light pouring in, just enough to navigate the vacant home.

The carpet was completely hidden in dirty laundry and torn bits of couch. Old stuffing intermingled with scraps of broken furniture, and anything left intact too had scratches over their surface.

Frisk tip-toed their way over the labyrinth of a wrecked home. The entire living room looked like a horrible tornado went through it. A tornado with knives.

The child made their way up the dusty staircase. They traced the wall with their hand, only to feel along with one, singular, long slash. One that smoothly tore the paper from the walls.

The first door at the top of the steps was covered in tape and what was left of personal decorations. An array of tacky signs, the kind one might see on a teenagers bedroom door. But most of these were gone or dug into with something sharp. Instead of the usual random cuts, the marks on this door drew a smiley face. Many smiley faces.

Finding that door locked, Frisk went on to check the last door. The entrance to this room has seen more violence than all the others. It did not have cuts all over it in random patterns. It did not have teasing smiley faces, nor did it have long, threatening marks.

No. The assailant on this defenseless door had but one goal in mind. To get inside. The center of the door was hacked away at with no mercy, splitting wood jutting out sharply in every direction. It looked as if they had almost succeeded, too. For there was a small hole, just barely gaping to the other side. The window in the wood was too small even for Frisk to fit their hand through. Perhaps whatever tool this person was using was not enough, or became dull with excessive use, and they had to leave to find a better tool. Perhaps that person was intending to return.

Frisk fled the cold house and made their way back outside to the blistering winds. Looking back, the whole outside of the house bore white scratches over its red brick. From this distance, the human could see shapes they did not notice before hand when they were closeup. Large letters were etched across the entire front of the house.

"DETERMINATION".


	10. Whisper

**Chapter 10. Whisper**

A whiny creaking sound filled the lobby of the Inn. The handle to the front entrance was turning, and a high sound raised in pitch as it went on, stuttering all the way.

Unlatched at last, the door violently flew open, having been blown in by a merciless gust of wind. Mounds of snow blew onto the floor, and a stumbling child came with. Still attached to the door knob and tripping their way inside, Frisk struggled to shut the door behind them.

*SLAM*

Frisk flinched harshly from the noise. The rough winds shook them up, and they were afraid they had awoken the sleeping monster beneath the front desk.

The child tip toed their way to the back. "Pssst," Frisk whispered. "Psssssssst." Slightly louder now.

Leaning down beside the counter, the human could see Sans still fast asleep. He looked much better than he did before.

"Sans," The innocent one said in a hushed voice. "Sans, wake up." They knew better than to startle someone who was sleeping. Waking up a person was a delicate, gradual process.

"Sans. I need you to wake up, Sans." They repeated. "I looked around town while you were out." A little louder now.

Still fast asleep.

Maybe he still needed his rest, the child thought. Frisk patiently sat and watched him for several minutes. His rib cage still showing signs of breathing.

A subtle movement. Did they see that right?

A slight twitch. And then another.

Every once in awhile, Sans displayed a small motion. He was shivering.

"Sans, are you cold?" Frisk asked quietly, uncertain.

The skeleton trembled more and more. His bones jerked around, spasming in random intervals. His whole body moved in strange patterns, and he clearly did not have control. Deep sounds emitted from the monster, too. Quiet moans of distress.

Sans was having a nightmare.

Frisk now had to speed up the process. "Sans, please wake up, I need you." Yelling the whisper. "Sans, everything is fine, you're just having a bad dream."

It wasn't enough. His quivering grew ever more violent. His whimpers revealing more torment.

"Sans, I went into town today. Have you seen it?" Frisk now spoke in a normal volume, still keeping their voice in a soothing tone. "All the buildings are empty. No one lives here anymore. All the shops have been robbed." No response. "There's… scratches on everything. Someone wrecked up all the doors… someone hacked away at doors with a knife or something..."

The beast's eye sockets shot open, black and vacant. The monster rose from its slumber. It turned its sinister face towards the child.

"S-Sans?" The child uttered in alarm.

In an instant, Frisk found themselves pinned to the floor, a white demon looming above them. Bony fingers had wrapped around Frisk's neck, and they began to squeeze.

A gravaling, deep voice echoed throughout the room. "prepare to be judged."

"Sa-" The child's words were cut off. Frisk reached up with their small hands desperately trying to remove the carpals from their throat. Every sign of struggling only made the creature squeeze tighter.

Air was an abrupt deprivation. The human felt their lungs withdraw in anguish, and their face got hot and swelling. The room started to drop to a darker shade of black.

Frisk reached up with one hand attempting to push the monsters face away, but to no avail. Their arms were too short and too weak.

The human continued to choke in agony, desperately trying to gasp for air. Their throat was entirely cut off, breathing had completely ceased.

Panicking, Frisk raised up their knees, curling their legs up to their chest. The small human gave the monster a swift kick in the sternum, the harsh pressure emitting a quiet snapping sound.

The beast inhaled sharply from the impact, and his phalanges released.

Sans threw himself backwards, now using his bony hands to clench his shirt in distress. He rubbed his sternum cautiously, checking himself for any signs of damage.

Frisk rolled over on the floor, coughing hoarsely. They had to lie down as their scratchy throat adjusted to open air, spitting out bile. Their suffering lungs compressing under the discomfort. The child stroked their bruised neck with care. Everything hurt.

White specs returned once again to the skeletons eyes. He gazed towards the innocent youth, now beginning to comprehend what had just taken place.

"oh..." Sans uttered in desolation. "oh god… a-are you alright…?"

The child coughed heavily, gross choking sounds escaping their lips.

The chubby skeleton crawled over, trying to examine the damage he had inflicted. "oh, no no no, i am so sorry, kid." Sans reached up and placed a gentle, bony hand on the human's shoulder.

A raspy voice cried out. "D-don't touch me…!" Frisk used their wrist to swipe away his. "Please..."

Sans slouched in sorrow. "kid, i… i didn't mean to, honest!" He said sincerely.

"Sans," The child sat up, speaking quite roughly. "I know you didn't, but..." Frisk leaned against the back wall, sighing. They curled up on themselves defensively.

Sans didn't know what else to say. He had hurt his friend. No, he had almost killed them. Almost murdered them, for what was probably the fiftieth time, he thought to himself.

"Sans, I forgive you… I know it was an accident, but… I need you to know..."

"f-frisk..." He tried to find the words. But none came. Sans sat back when Frisk shot them a serious look. He didn't feel forgiven then.

"Sans, you scare me."


	11. Friend

**Chapter 11. Friend**

Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.

* * *

Several timelines ago…

* * *

Quiet footsteps echoed throughout the large hallway. A slow pace moved the child forward with purpose. The human walked out from the dark and in front of a massive, stained glass window. A yellow light poured in passing through pillars, casting only the darkest of shadows.

A low voice chimed in from the other end of the room. "hmm..." The human stopped in their tracks. "that expression..." The dark silhouette emerged. "that's the expression of someone who's died five times in a row."

The child squinted at this. They put one foot in front of the other, and approached the dark form.

"convenient, huh?" The shadow continued. "that's one for each finger."

The human stepped forward. Both of their fists clenched tightly, one squeezing around a small handle attached to a silver blade.

"but soon..." The words echoed off of the walls.

The human child pressed onwards, their shoes starting into a sprint. They lashed out at the dark figure, who just as swiftly moved his body away from the attack. The human screamed making the motion, their sounds like a toddlers tantrum.

"heh heh heh..." The form stepped backward into the light. One side of his skull was illuminated in soft, warm light. The other half comfortably concealed in darkness. "get ready."

A face as white as his emerged from the musty air. A pale skull more crooked and sinister. Another appeared beside the first, and together they opened their bony jaws. Sparks of white energy emitted from their throats, and the blinding light shot out like raging fire.

The small human saw this coming their way and moved out from the demons line of sight. Though agile, the beams of energy still nicked the child's shoulder, and their skin burned painfully.

Expecting the end of it, the human pivoted on their heels and found themselves nose to nose with the other hell beast. A blast as quick as lightning shot from the demon's mouth, and the human's life was cut short.

* * *

Morning light crept in through a small, bedroom window. Quiet noises from the snowy trees could be heard from indoors. The fluttering tweets of morning birds, their songs echoed through the winter air.

The combination of the light and the noise alerted a sleeping creature that it was time to rise. He rolled over in his bed, and cast his gaze towards the ceiling. Bags under his eye sockets, he wiped his face grumpily and groaned.

The tired skeleton leaned forward and swung around, gently placing his metatarsals to the carpet. Looking out his window, he slouched in exhaust. "another day," he mumbled to himself. Sans turned his attention to his desk. Placed neatly on the surface was a tall lamp that didn't work, and a tattered, red scarf. His heart sank deep inside ribs. "another dollar."

* * *

"hmm..." A familiar voice echoed throughout the corridor. "that expression."

The human at the other end of the room approached, their lips pierced up.

"that's the expression of someone who's died six times in a row." He repeated. The words did not hinder the child's advances. "that's the number of fingers on a mutant hand."

The human once again lunged forward at the skeleton in shadow, a malicious frown strewn across their face. But their attack did not make it to its destination.

Shapes of bones, blue and white, danced around the room in unpredictable patterns. The child attempted to dance around them, avoiding every swing at their body. The quantity of bones grew by the second, and the attacks became more difficult to evade. More and more edges scraped past the human's shoulders, and the new bruises stung continuously.

The human turned towards the skeleton, small blade in hand, and took a deadly swipe. The child only cut the air.

"you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?" Sans questioned, backing away. He stared at the small youth for a time, neither of them speaking.

"listen," The monster spoke up again. "i know you didn't answer me before, but..." He continued, uncertain.

The child looked up at their enemy, perplexed. They braced themselves for another bone attack at any moment.

Sans' deep voice fell quiet. "somewhere in there. i can feel it." He pressed on. "there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you."

Stepping back, the human's expression changed. Their eyebrows wrinkled forward in curiosity, and their mouth gaped open, just a little.

"the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing." Sans' words reverberated off the walls of the corridor. "someone who, in another time… might have even been..." His voice dropping to an unseen level of sincerity. "...a friend?"

The human's posture fell. Their eyes were peeled wide open, and they began to water.

"c'mon buddy." Said the skeleton, his white pupils gazing deep into the human's soul. "do you remember me?" The monster breathed heavily through his teeth. "please, if you're listening. let's forget all this, ok?"

The child's dirty face tensed up in surprise. Gentle streams flowed down their cheeks uncontrollably.

"just… lay down your weapon, and..." The monster huffed, exhausted. "heh heh, well, my job will be a lot easier." Sans concluded, his bony fists rested securely in his pockets.

A loud, metallic noise filled the room. The child's tense grip had weakened, and they let loose their weapon to the floor.

"N… no..." The child whispered too quietly to hear. They struggled with themselves horribly. One palm rested over their eye, fingers digging into their scalp. The other hand shook in the air, deciding what to reach for.

Sans analyzed the human's movements. Their eye darted between Sans and their weapon.

"Y-yes..." The child whimpered. "I-I remember…! Y-you were s-such a good friend!" Their voice grew shaky and numb towards the end, having burst into tears. The urge to do harm had completely washed away from their face.

Sans brought his arms out in welcome. "c'mere, pal." He offered calmly.

Frisk did not hesitate to accept their friends invitation. They ran forward in expectation, ready for it all to be over.

Broken, jagged bones burst out from the floor, piercing the human's flesh. Sharpened femurs went through the child's body at every angle, provoking an awful, high pitched scream.

"geeettttttt dunked on!" The skeleton chanted condescendingly, very proud of himself. "now stay there, you gross piece of garbage!"

Although the human bled out, they still struggled. "I… deserve this..."

The skeleton was startled to see the human still speaking. The sight of a talking corpse was rather disturbing.

"...thank… y… ou..." The child's words were barely audible. But then their limbs drooped, and the sounds of a soul breaking in two echoed throughout the hall.

Sans fell down onto his knee caps, trembling. His body slumped down, finally able to relax. "anytime… old friend."


	12. Golden

**Chapter 12. Golden**

Sans awoke in his bed once again. He was alerted by familiar morning light and repetitive songs of the morning birds. There was still a tattered scarf laid atop his desk, and outside his window, a golden flower in bloom. The only thing he begged for was a good night's sleep.

* * *

"that looks like the face of someone who's died ten times in a row." His deep voice echoed, not only off of the walls, but through the hands of time's clock.

The person he was speaking to stood straight and still. Their shoulders were squared off, and they held their position tightly and thoughtfully. The human looked Sans in the eyes with much intent, and raised up their tiny fist, gripping a small knife with white knuckles. Shaking, the child threw their weapon to the tiled floor.

"haha, wow." Sans chuckled in disbelief. "you're actually sparing me?"

"Sans," The child spoke up. "I need you to listen to me." Their tone was calm, but still shaking.

"sorry pal, that's not how this works out." The skeleton announced.

"Please-" Frisk begged, but their pleas were not enough. The golden tiled floor broke open, and jagged bones burst from below. One singular humerus found its way through the human's throat, and all was silent.

* * *

The stubborn child returned to the corridor. Still armed, Frisk made their move. Sans started to speak, but stopped himself when he caught sight of what the child was doing. Frisk took the knife and began to dig into the back of their own hand. "St… stop it." They fought. "I w-won't..." The child pulled the blade out quickly and yelped in pain. They were fighting something much more than a bony monster.

"what are you doing, kid?" Sans asked, perplexed. "this is why kids shouldn't be allowed to handle sharp things..." He attempted to make a joke, although he knew it wasn't funny.

"I won't, I won't, I WON'T!" Frisk screamed at the top of their lungs, one final jab through their small, fragile hand.

"whoa, buddy, calm down." Sans insisted. "someone needs to take a chill pill." The skeleton cast out one bony hand, and a blue light emitted from the human's chest. A subtle flick of his wrist, and the child was lifted from the ground. Frisk dropped their weapon, and its clangs against the tiles were muffled by a fresh coating of blood.

Frisk's body was thrown against the wall, and pulled back down again. The child merely collapsed from the force.

"S..." The child coughed. "Sans… you have to help me..."

Sans inhaled sharply and paused. The being before him. The way they spoke was almost… human.

Frisk quivered as they forced themselves to their feet. They stood up, limp, but did not attack.

The short skeleton walked slowly towards his opponent. "f-frisk?" He asked, searching for an answer. He got closer to the crippled child, their stance broken and twisted.

When Sans was in arm's reach, the human tilted their head around at an unnatural angle. A wide grin spread across their dark face. " _AhahahahaHAHAHA!_ " The human howled loudly.

Sans jumped back in shock, but also in muscle-memory to evade any attacks at his person. Reflexively, he raised up his hand, summoning his hell beasts, to which their blasts created the quickest one hit death he had performed thus far.

* * *

It was another beautiful day outside. Morning light came in through the chilly window, and just outside, a blooming, golden flower.

Sans slowly lifted himself from his mattress. He hobbled his way towards his slippers, when a little voice whispered through the cracks of his window. "Good morning, sleepy skull!"

The skeleton quickly turned to his window, attempting to shut it. "go away, flower. i don't wanna talk."

"Ooooh, but I just have SO much to say!" The golden flower chanted, a spring in its step. "I just wanted to congratulate you on all you've done! You're such a GOOD sport!"

Sans slipped his bony feet inside his slippers, not looking at the voice outside his window. "the feeling isn't mutual."

"Golly, look who's being a grumpy grump!" Said the flower. Its expression grew darker. "I'm just so proud of you! You know… _for killing your best friend._ _Over and over and over..._ "

"heh heh heh… it's not like that at all." Sans retorted. "they can't be dead if they're alive at this very moment," He looked up over at his desk. "they can't die."

"Oh, but they have!" The tiny creature assured. "They are very well acquainted with what a human would call death. And they feel it. Oooooh do they feel it. Each and every bone splitting, energy burning-"

"shut your mouth, weed!" Sans interrupted. "besides, we've had this conversation before."

The flower tilted away, addled. "Why, we have? Golly, what else have I said?"

"nothing good," The skeleton chuckled. "just stupid stuff like how you get your sick, twisted joy out of watching others suffer, and... " He couldn't quite finish.

Waiting in anticipation, the yellow flower made a wild guess. "...And that you're a dirty little sinner?" Sans breathing fell silent. "Ah hah! I knew it!" The flower chanted with glee. "Well, I suppose of course that's because it was my opinion all along… but it's still true, now isn't it?" The little flower did not yet get a response from the skeleton. "My oh my. That's too bad, you ARE a little sinner, aren't you. Aren't you! You feel it deep down in your bones. You're no better than that little human-"

"i've had about enough of you!" Sans shouted. "it doesn't matter what i am. none of that matters." The tiny guest didn't have any conversation topics left, but the short skeleton continued. "i just want the kid to be gone for good. i just want them to go away, and quit putting me through this hell."

* * *

The two dark figures entered the corridor once more, seemingly at the same time. The one who usually waits early seemed to have arrived late this time.

"hey," The shadowed monster greeted.

The small human standing on the western side of the room did not speak. They did not frown, nor did they smile. They did not laugh, or blink, or make a little sound. Neither was their body tensed up in any sort of fashion. They were completely removed.

"kid," Sans urged. "listen."

The child continued to stand, unmoving. But Sans wasn't quite sure if this meant that they were listening to him.

"if you're really my friend… you'll go away."

The child's hands twitched for a moment, making the small blade in hand glint in the windows warm light. But they held onto it.

Without a word, without a sound, or even the slightest expression, the human pivoted on their heel, and turned the other way.

The human left.

Sans guarded his position for several minutes, just to be sure of what had happened. Did the human really leave? Were they planning to return, just to psyche him out?

They had really left. The quiet echoes of their footsteps had long since faded. The human had left, and with nowhere else to go…

"frisk..." The skeleton whispered. "frisk is my friend… right?" He chuckled to himself. "frisk is… they have to… reset… frisk has to reset now, it's..." He went on a tangent, relieved. "frisk, i got through to you, i'm..." Sans began to collapse to the floor, almost in denial. "i'm so tired."

* * *

Sans awoke in his bed. Slowly and cautiously, he turned his skull to peer around his room. A warm light shone in through the window, and on his desk was a lamp that did not work, and a tattered, red scarf.

Sans turned his gaze back towards the ceiling. "this is it… this is hell."


	13. Sanity

**Chapter 13. Sanity**

On a chilly, winter morning, a small, golden flower bathed in the warm light. Turning its head, it peered up at a cozy home, its front decorated with welcoming lights and reefs. Its entrance adorned with violent, desperate scratches from a feral creature.

The tiny flower sunk itself into the ground, and arose to another destination. There, its roots grew closer to the brick house, and it raised its stem as to peer through a cloudy window.

Touching the glass with its soft petals, it flinched back from the bitter cold. The windows edges were foggy and painted with frost.

Looking inside, the little flower saw a large monster, fast in slumber. Just then, a beam of light poured inside, and high pitched tunes emitted from the trees. The monster rolled around at this, and pushed himself from his mattress.

The yellow flower watched the walking skeleton intently. He turned his skull and the two made eye contact. The tiny creature beamed with joy, having caught the attention of the monster it so admired. The chubby skeleton, on the other hand, squinted angrily at the mere sight of the creature, and attempted to ignore its prodding.

"Good morning, sleepy skull!" The golden flower chanted with glee.

At this, the monster hesitated, but approached the window anyway. He wedged his phalanges around the edges of the glass and rose it up so as to speak with the flower more properly. "how many times do i have to tell you, flowey..." The skeleton pointed. "go away."

"Oh, but I have so much to say!" The flower insisted.

"no you don't," Sans assured. "i've heard all of your twisted thoughts a dozen times."

"Why, you have?" Flowey asked in delight. "Golly! I'll bet you're still having a splendid time killing your best friend! How many times has it been now?"

"heh heh heh..." The skeleton huffed, shaking. "i stopped counting."

"Dearie me! That human must have more determination than even I do!"

"let's hope not, parasite." Sans said darkly. "they'll give up. eventually." He looked back at the floor.

"Is that what dirty, little sinners tell themselves?" Flowey jabbed, a great smile across its face. "Ahah! I knew it! You feel it deep down in your bones. You're no better than that little human-"

" _please,_ " Sans interrupted. "please, just… say something different."

Caught off guard, Flowey glanced to the side, nervously. If it had said everything, then what else was there to even say?

"say something..." The monster begged. "say something you normally wouldn't."

Flowey sank into its stem, shivering. Sure, it had some thoughts it hadn't considered before, but those ideas were cast aside for a reason. "They're going to kill me." Flowey blurted. "I don't want to die."

Sans stood up straight, startled to hear the news. A deep chuckle arose from him, loud and booming. He laughed more and more, it's so funny!

"Wh… why are you laughing?" Flowey uttered uncomfortably.

The monster had to calm himself down, wiping away at his eye sockets. " _tibia_ -honest, hearing something new is a thrill." He admitted, still huffing with laughter. "i thought i was losing my mind."

"Ha… ha ha," Flowey chortled back. "I think you already have!" The skeleton continued his sounds of amusement, but they began to fade. "In fact, Sans, you might already be insane!"

"me?" Sans said, a bit exasperated. "do i look crazy to you?"

Flowey squinted at him. "You misunderstand me, friend. I never said that." A subtle smirk on its lips. "I just said you were insane. You know what that is, right?"

Sans huffed, rather irritated. "i am of sound mind, weed. i know what i'm doing."

The yellow flower ignored his reasoning. "You know science. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over… _and expecting different results._ "

The skeleton inhaled to argue, but stopped to think. "but… i _have_ been getting different results."

"You really are an idiot." The flower stated. "The only one who is changing is the human. I've seen it." Flowey smiled coldly. "But in the end, they're not. They keep coming back. They will return and destroy the king. And when they do, you'll know that you have failed. Nothing will break their will. They will succeed!" It howled with joy. "They will turn every last one to dust! Even me!" Its petals drooped.

"flowey..." Sans muttered in pity.

"You know I'm right, Sans. There's no two ways about it. The underground will grow empty forever."

"you know i can't let that happen. i _won't_ let that happen." Sans urged. "i mean..."

"There it is."

"there what is?" Sans questioned.

"Your doubt. Your lack of determination. That is why you fail."

"i haven't failed!" The monster exclaimed, affronted. "that kid hasn't gotten past me yet."

"Yet." Flowey repeated. "The human won't change. If they won't set things right, who will?"

Sans glared down upon the golden flower. They both looked at each other, both reconciling with their inevitable demise. "what am i supposed to do?" He finally whispered. "the kid just resets over and over again. what is there to do?"

The tiny plant cackled in a twisted manner. "Why, reset, of course!"

Sans huffed, a bit put off. "you know i don't have that kind of power."

Flowey giggled menacingly. "It's a funny thing, really… being empty inside." Its voice started to shake, and its eyes sunk inside its face. "What if I told you… I could get you a happy ending?"

The monster took a reluctant step backwards. "i don't follow..." He said, suspiciously.

"I could send you back. Way back!" The flower offered, elated. "Maybe in this universe… you could be given the power to change fate! Wouldn't you like that, old friend?" Sans didn't respond. "Well, okay, I admit I might be a bit sketchy." It raised up its vines, and strings of plants entered the room. "But look! I have no ulterior motives! I want the kid gone, too!"

Sans backed up further in dismay. The plants grew larger, and entwining branches arose together in a large circle.

"That little human isn't your friend anymore." Flowey announced, its body and all its appendages growing sharp thorns. "They're not my friend anymore." It almost whispered. "But how's about it? If you go back and destroy them before they change, ha ha ha… they won't know what hit them!"

The tangled vines formed together, arranging themselves into what appeared to be a garden's gateway. The negative space in the middle fell dark, and rose again in a sea of white noise. It pulsed deeply, like a monster's heartbeat.

Sans stepped out cautiously from his corner. "is that…?" He began uneasily. "a portal?"

The flowers laughs bounced throughout the room. "I made it just for you! Will you take it, friend?" It asked eagerly.

Sans stared deep into the gift of a vortex. Anxiety swelled within his skull, sweat falling past his temples.

"Don't worry, old pal! It's a two-way exit! You can just hop in, murder your ex-friend, and hop right back out! It's that easy!" The flower chuckled, quite proud of itself. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"this is really gonna…?" The chubby monster began, resentment in his tone.

"Why Sans, I'm hurt!" The plant explained. "You have one simple task. I'm doing my part!" It nudged, assuringly. "It will be quick. Like going to the dentist!"

Sans stood his ground before the flashing portal. "i guess i'm… at the end of my rope, huh?"

Flowey sighed cheerfully. "Aren't we all?" Silence fell between the two. "...Well, say 'howdy' for me!"

The skeleton braced himself, forcing his bones through the chaotic storm of black and white pixels. He chuckled darkly. "don't worry. i know how to greet a new pal."


	14. Warm

**Chapter 14. Warm**

There is a prophecy. The Angel. The one who has seen the surface… they will return. And the Underground will go empty.

* * *

Inside a homely, small town inn, the darkness spread itself thin. Heavy shadows surrounded the front windows, and the glass shook from the winter's raging winds. The front door did little to blot out the blistering cold, and the room fell even chiller. The atmosphere of the inn's lobby grew colder than it had ever been, and not only because of the air's dropping temperature.

The front desk became refuge to a white monster, whose clammy bones wrapped around themselves in regret.

Across from him leaning against the wall laid a small, human child. They too had curled up their body, trying to keep themselves warm beneath their ragged pajamas. The innocent one glared coldly at the monster just a few feet away, their steady gaze unblinking.

Closing his eye sockets, the room that was once deathly silent began to fill with a deep hum. The skeleton's breathing had shifted, and his shoulder bones began to slouch.

The human perked up at this sudden shift in movement. "Sans?" They muttered, a bit vexed. The child wanted to continue fussing with him, but decided they no longer enjoyed disturbing monsters while they slept.

The youth stood up, ready to be on their way. The abrupt act was enough to jog the creature awake once more. "k-kid?" He asked in a troubled tone.

Frisk looked back down at him angrily. "Haven't you had enough sleep?" They accused.

Sans sat back at this. "n-no. i haven't. sorry." He admitted woefully. The human did not appear to have so much as pity. "i haven't been able to sleep, really."

The child huffed at this, but leaned back down to the monster's level. "Is that so? You seem to be good at it. Must be a talent." They answered condescendingly.

"heh heh, good one." Sans chuckled weakly, raising his scapulas. "but… no. truthfully i haven't slept in what feels like weeks. no, it's definitely been weeks."

Frisk leaned back in confusion. "Well, what do I know about how much sleep a skeleton needs, anyway? How do I know a magic bag of bones needs sleep at all? Maybe you just do it for fun." They shrugged in discomfort.

"heh heh! maybe my brother was right all along! maybe i am a pile of lazybones." Sans said, almost laughing genuinely.

"Oh." Frisk recalled. "Papyrus..."

"yeah!" Sans chimed in. "you two are a lot alike. you would have been great friends, i know it." His voice raised at this, attempting to lighten up the mood. But the child only frowned at the floor. No answer was received. "you know i… haven't slept… since he died, so..." He continued, a lump clogging his deep voice. Frisk looked up at him then, sorrow now rising up in the both of them. "thank you."

Addled, the child spoke up. "For what?"

"for letting me sleep." He assured pensively. "i mean, i haven't been able to rest like that in a long time. having someone around that i trust… really put my mind at ease, you know?"

"Sans, I don't understand."

"i know, kid." The monster uttered, aching in his bones.

The pair fell silent for a long moment. The room somehow drooped darker, and the dusty air nipped even colder.

The two decided to speak up again, both voicing simultaneously. Not being able to hear the other, they both stopped.

"you go first, kid." Sans insisted, waving his phalanges towards the small human.

Frisk shook their head. "You go."

"oh? heh heh heh, okay." He chortled. "i just needed to let you know that i haven't been completely honest with you." Sans started up. "what i'm dragging you into is very dangerous, and i understand if you want to turn around and leave."

Frisk shook their head. "But Sans, I want to do it. I need to, I-"

Sans gestured with his metacarpals, hinting that he wasn't finished. "you saw it, didn't you?" His eyes fell black, and his expression became difficult to read. "the town. everything is in shambles." His voice was serious and level. "but did you see… my house?"

The child sat for a while, over thinking his questions. "Well I..." Just then a dangerous idea clicked. Frisk had a gut feeling they knew which one he was talking about, but the thought scared them.

"heh." The monster came in again. "i'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay..." Frisk said, though they did not believe even themselves.

"frisk, i'm asking too much of you." He boomed. "the creature that has destroyed this friendly town... the monster that i am facing alone… the demon that is responsible for the mass murder of the whole underground..." Sans proceeded his anecdote without displaying a single emotion. "that person is you." His teeth only seemed to grin wider. "heh heh, well, at the very least a person who looks just like you."

The child searched themselves, attempting to find lost answers. The scattered thoughts danced in their head chaotically, until they found something to say. "So… that's why you… attack me? Why you try to… kill me?"

White specs illuminated in the monster's eye sockets. He moved away, a tad perturbed. "well, yes and no. it's why you're here, kid! it's why you got caught up in all this!"

Frisk focused on the floor. Their small arms clenched around themselves even tighter, and they felt a slight pain in their chest. The little human ground their teeth in deep thought, and their muscles began to quake.

Observing the small youths trembles, the skeleton stood up. "wow, it's really cold, huh?" Sans said, removing his blue hoodie. "c'mere, kiddo. you need this more than i do."

Frisk hesitated at his gesture, but couldn't deny their body's painful shivering. They were once again dependent on the monster's offerings.

The human slipped their skinny arms inside the sleeves easily, as the article of clothing was several times their size. The fabric was nearly as cold as the air, as its owner seemed not to emit body heat. The sweater slid off of their shoulders repeatedly, despite Frisk's attempts to keep it up. The monster promptly took hold of the rarely used zipper pull, and zipped it all the way to the top. Though still shivering, Sans' hoodie made all the difference. Frisk's cheeks turned red.

"you were really chilled to the bone there, pal." Sans joked. "how you feelin'?"

"...Um," The child mumbled, blushing. "I really like… wearing other people's sweaters." A wide smile was strewn across their face, and they put up their small hands, hidden by overly long sleeves, up to their face, trying to hide their warm grin. "It's kinda like an indirect hug."

The monster's confused expression changed to one that matched the human's. "aw, kid, you're making blush." He admitted. "do you want… a direct hug?" Sans asked with open arms.

Frisk paused for a brief moment, then nodded shyly. The two leaned into a paralleled embrace. "i'm sorry for being such a butthead." Sans added. "do you wanna go home?" The child shivered more under their padded jacket, but shook their head vigorously. "heh heh heh, okay buddy. you're a real tough cookie, you know that?"

The child giggled beneath the muffled fabric. "Sans, you're not a butthead." They lifted their squished face from the monster's rib cage and looked into his large eye sockets. "You can't be. You don't have a butt OR a head!"

The skeleton laughed a hearty guffaw. "oh no, i've been caught!" His teeth grew wide, beaming. But his boisterous bellows soon quieted down. "are you ready to go, frisk?" He asked, still light in his tone. Frisk shot him a determined look, and they dragged Sans to the front door without a second thought. "whoa there, kid!" And before he knew it, the two were outside.

The roaring winds had finally calmed at this time, however the chilly air still threatened the human's comfort. Deep in the distance, hiding in the winter's east, something tiny rifled. Something yellow.

Sans spun around rather fast and swiftly pulled the hood over the human's head, panicking. "get back inside the inn!" He breathed urgently. "go, now!" Frisk did not know if this was some sort of test over following directions or facing real dangers, but they took it as a challenge and heeded the beast's warnings. The small child made their way inside as quickly as Sans had made the instruction.

Leaving the front entrance open so they could still hear, Frisk hid inside and inspected the skeletons movements from the clouded window. Sans stood his ground, when from out of the snow popped a tiny, golden flower. The friendly looking plant had eyes and a mouth, and looked much like something Frisk would doodle with crayons.

"Sans, there you are!" The little flower spoke. Sans started to speak when the yellow petals drooped and the tiny creature bore a most grim expression. "Sans, you failed!"

"what?!" The white monster accused. "i didn't fail..."

"Oh, but you have!" It exclaimed. "The king is dead!"


	15. Ready

**Chapter 15. Ready**

The wind was howling.

Several layers buried in the snow, the skeleton's bony feet began to tremble. His bones rattled from bottom to top until the quaking was nearly audible.

"h-how..." The monster tried to breath, his voice shaking as much as his spine. "...how did this happen?" He finally asked in disbelief. Knee caps weak, he fell to the ground.

"You don't know?" The plant questioned. "Sans, you weren't there!" It exclaimed. Its face grew most sinister. "Hahaha, you took too long. You didn't show up to the corridor! They finally got past you and easily did away with the king. There's absolutely no stopping them now!"

"s-so..." Sans uttered, grasping the top of his skull in dismay. "...so that's it then?" Slouching, his cold bones sagged in denial.

"Golly, Sans!" The flower chanted. "It's not over! The human still has their soul!"

"what?" Sans begged. "what do you mean they…?"

The golden flower shook its head. "The human isn't finished! They still have business with me… and you!" The flower's stem curled downward on itself, and it too quivered in fear. "They're not done with you… they're not done with me! They won't quit until we're all dead! Hahahahahahaha!" It laughed manically, losing its mind.

"flowey, quit it!" Sans hushed. "you're gonna psyche the kid out!"

Flowey stretched upward in alarm. "Kid? What are you talking abou-" Its speech was interrupted by the sight of a familiar, small child exiting the inn, and slowly approaching the arguing pair. "Sans, you… IDIOT."

"f-frisk!" Sans spat, watching the child disobey his orders. "i told you to stay inside!"

The golden flower pulled its petals over its face so as to not be seen, as it smiled a most devilish smile and snickered to itself for a brief moment. It opened up its yellow petals once more, brandishing a cute, friendly face instead. "Howdy!" It announced to the child. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!" The plant introduced itself with much enthusiasm.

Frisk covered their mouth and giggled. "Hi, Flowey!" They replied reflexively.

White specs rolled in the monster's eye sockets. "cut it out, weed." Sans interjected. "you're not fooling anyone."

Flowey sunk into the ground nervously. "H-hey! I was j-just trying to have some fun!" It quivered, more afraid of the skeleton's disapproval. "I just w-want somebody to play with! A-and look! You brought me a playmate!" The tiny creature presented, gesturing its leaves towards the child. "You know… _the one you were supposed to have killed_?"

Sans flinched from the flower's accusations. "it's a really long story, flowey. things didn't exactly go as planned..."

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Flowey screamed frighteningly. "You _idiot_! Now that's one extra soul to mess with our timelines! Just kill them now and get it over with!"

At this, Frisk curled into themselves and they began to cry.

Sans promptly wrapped his bony arms around the human child. "shut your trap, weed." He insisted. "it's a lot more complicated than that now."

"You're right, Sansy!" The flower smiled darkly. "It's really complicated now! And it's all your fault!" Flowey's teeth grew large and menacing, and a devilish tongue flew out. "You can't kill this kid! They'll just reset! They're filled with too much determination!"

Frisk broke free from Sans' hold, and drew themselves closer to the tiny creature. "You don't know anything about me." They clarified.

"We know a bit more than you think, human!" Flowey proposed, squinting at the child. "We know that..." The flower trailed off, having taken a closer look at Frisk. "Ha… hahahaha…!" It laughed unsteadily. "Why, Sans! Would you look at what the monster cat dragged in!"

Both Sans and Frisk looked down upon the flower, puzzled.

"This human…" Flowey rubbed its face with a leaf. "What were you planning on doing with them, exactly…?"

Sans pulled the child away defensively. "i wasn't _planning_ on doing _anything_ with them!" He hollered. "the kid here agreed to help us out!"

"Is that so?" Flowey asked, skeptical. "Well, Sans, you just might be onto something!"

Sans dropped his guard. "...really?"

"Why yes! Just think of it!" The yellow creature yowled with glee, its eyes receding grotesquely inside its face. "A weak monster and a weak human fighting against a really strong human! Sounds like quite the recipe!"

When Flowey put it like that, the pair did not know what to say. The two looked at one another, uncertain of the creatures motives.

"Don't fail us, Sans." Flowey concluded, its face normal but frowning. "I don't want to die."

The skeleton sighed heavily. "yes, flowey. we'll do our best."

"Thanks, old pal!" The golden flower beamed once more. "I knew I could count on you!" Although its voice was high with joy, its face held a different complexion. Terror. "Hahahaha, well… I'm off to tell the human you're coming back!"

"wait, what?" Sans called.

"Oh, yeah, about that." Flowey glossed, looking to the side nervously. "I kind of told them I would be a messenger for them, in exchange for… _my continued existence_." It chuckled, sweat falling off of its petals. "Hahaha, well, see you around, Sansy!" Flowey urged, winking. "The unstoppable skeleton and the ill-informed human! Together to bring peace to absolutely no one! Because everyone's dead!" Sans took a threatening step forward, but the flower recoiled. "You two will become a great, murdering duo! Yes. I think that's a wonderful idea!" And with that, Flowey sunk into the earth and evaded further interrogations.

Sans defensive stance relaxed as the yellow creature made its escape. "well, that's it, i guess." He finally said.

Frisk turned to him sadly and tugged on his shirt. "Sans, it'll all work out."

The white monster gazed on the child with much lament. "will it?" He asked.

The small human nodded reassuringly. "I know it will. It has to!" They attempted to cheer him up. "Nothing in my life has gone right, so… that's how I know! Things always get better… in the end..."

"i-i dunno, kid." Sans began, a solemn dread in his voice. "i'm beginning to have second thoughts about this."

Frisk reached up and pulled the monster's cheekbones so as the two could look at one another straight on. "Don't listen to Flowery. Listen to me." Sans let out a soft chuckle. "Sans, you need to stay determined. We can do this together!"

Sans soaked in the words, now seeing what he had left in this world to protect. "kid..." He started up. "you give quite the pep-talk." The two smiled at each other, and the snowy town grew a little brighter. "i guess… we had better get going too, huh?"

"Yes!" Frisk shouted with much elation.

"whoa, slow down there, pal." The skeleton warned. "remember, this isn't a fun little adventure. we're going up against someone with the drive to hurt. someone with the intent to _kill_ , do you understand?"

The child stayed strong, but his words began to sink in. Frisk gazed down upon the ground, and a wave of anxiety filled their fragile head. "I understand." They replied, shaking a bit. "We have to move forward."

"heh heh, alright, frisk. this is it, then." Sans raised up his carpals. "gimme your hand."

Frisk recognized the gesture, placed their hand inside his, and gripped rather tightly. "I'm ready."

The scenery around the pair dissolved, the snow beneath their feet vanished in a flash, and a painful pressure blew through them. The chilled air washed away in a burst of wind, and was replaced with a calming, warm air, clouded in dust. All light faded to black, and in the distance, just behind Sans' skull, shown a dim, yellow light. The skeletons eye sockets bore no light, and his teeth were as wide as ever. "i know a shortcut."


	16. Corridor

**Chapter 16. Corridor**

Everything Frisk could see turned to the brightest of black. Though their vision was dark and hazy, they still squinted as if looking directly at the burning sun. The rushing winds around their body subsided, and at last the room was still.

The human focused on their new environment. They stood at the far west of a large corridor, its ceiling built far higher than necessary. The spacious room made the child feel very small indeed, as the supporting pillars within stretched taller than any one building they had ever witnessed.

All along one side of the hall adorning the walls were several massive windows. Each identical in their arrays of orange and gold. The fitted glass was carefully strewn together, creating a colorful puzzle of art. The stained glass bore a most mysterious symbol, one that carried three small triangles, and a rounded circle with triumphant wings.

The floor below was tiled with yellow and orange, and its surface only reflected the warm light pouring in from the golden windows. The beams of light illuminated countless floating particles of dust, and all light was cut short after hitting each pillar, whose long shadows were as black as pitch.

"...Wow." Frisk finally breathed, taking it all in. "This is..." The child continued, keeping their voice low and reverent. "This is the most beautiful church I've ever seen."

"heh heh," The monster replied. Frisk had just now realized the two were still holding hands, but did not let go. "well, it used to be." Sans sighed deeply, and he too looked upon the great corridor, the room of which he had long since lost appreciation for. "it hasn't been used for congregations in a very long time. and… yeah. it is beautiful."

The pair stood still for a long time, absorbing the beauty of rich colors that filled the air. With their fingers still entwined, Sans suddenly felt something he had not quite felt before. He looked down trying to understand what it was, and in his mind appeared the unmistakable grin of another skeleton. The image of his brother, happy and well, swelled up in his heart, and in that moment he finally understood. Hope.

"frisk," The skeleton started up. The child flinched, startled at the abrupt sound, for the corridor was deafeningly quiet. "i feel like… there are some things left unsaid, and..."

The innocent one looked up toward him and gave a well disposed smile. "Sans…?" They asked graciously. The two opened their mouths, both ready to speak, when a very faint, but loud noise erupted. The sound was quite indistinct, having come from far away, and the two could not place what could have made it. But one thing was for certain; the noise was loud and awful.

Heart pounding in their chest, Frisk retreated into the short skeleton, whom housed the human protectively. "you have to hide!" Sans whispered loudly. "you must not be seen. not yet." The monster ran his phalanges through the human's hair, trying to show comfort. Frisk nodded, and withdrew towards the nearest exit.

Hidden behind a corner, the child's face flashed red and hot with adrenaline. Breathing loudly, they removed their heavy, winter coat. "Sans!" They whispered, still not nearly as quiet as they should be. "Pst! Sans! Your coat!"

Double taking repeatedly between the east end of the corridor and his human companion, Sans finally stopped to look at Frisk, who was shaking around a blue garment in the air excitedly. "kid!" Sans hushed, placing one bony finger up to his teeth in a familiar gesture. "you gotta lay low!" He insisted, but the child continued noisomely. The monster huffed deeply and made his way over, reluctantly taking his own coat back. The small human grinned at this, and after having slipped back into the sleeves, so too were a pair of fuzzy slippers laid out and presentable. "kid..." Sans whispered to them, to which he got a pair of thumbs-up in response. The monster frowned at this, but then let out a heavy sigh through weak teeth.

In the blackest of shadows, Sans finally stood his ground, bony feet shoulder-width apart, knee caps locked. He prepared himself to stand firm and tall, metacarpals securely rested in the front pockets of his hoodie. He had worn this position many times before, always determined to be the wall that stops evil in its tracks. To protect what was left to protect.

Something felt off, however. The beautiful light poured into his line of sight from the opposite side that he was so used to. He now stood at the very other end of the corridor, now getting the perspective of his repeated opponent.

But one thing remained the same. He faced his enemies straight on. He had his back turned to the one left to protect.

Sans remained standing for quite some time. How long had it been, he pondered to himself. Ten minutes? Maybe twenty? His patience grew thin.

And yet still no sign of the human. Except of course for the innocent one hiding over in the next room, the child shuffling every once in awhile from discomfort or boredom. But he couldn't let this distract him. He had to wait.

The skeleton's eye sockets felt heavy, and he blinked a few times. A deep yawn arose in his ribs, and he fought the tired symptoms. He was so tired of waiting, and his mind was far more tired than even that. Sans wished he had used this time to sleep. He could fall asleep standing, he thought. He had done it before.

A very soft sound patted from an outside room. The sounds were exceedingly faint, but the hall was all too quiet to conceal another din. Frisk heard the rhythmic noise approaching, and they rustled about to peer around the corner as to perhaps see the source of the foot steps. Frisk too made just a tiny little noise, and it was this sound that jolted the monster awake.

Sans breathed rapidly, having been startled into consciousness. His bones were still locked in position, and he did not sense any immediate danger. However his heart still raced within his ribs, for he had so foolishly let his guard down. Sans had fallen asleep where he stood, and after finally having comprehended the sounds he heard, the skeleton was extremely grateful that his friend had awoken him just in time.

Just then, a shadow appeared within the shadows. The thick darkness somehow fell even darker, and a small shape made its way inside the corridor at a slow and steady pace.

The silhouette stopped, and it remained still, studying the room.

The monster observed this, and rotated on his tibia slightly. Sans prepared himself, if only mentally, and knew he had to make the first move, for the darkness concealed him all to well. Taking just one step forward, the golden light bounced off of his skull, and his eye sockets had no light coming in or coming out.

A gentle noise filled up the room in an instant. The high laughter of a child, almost sounding innocent. "About time you showed up." A cute voice rang. In the sea of blackness illuminated two floating specs, glowing a violent crimson. "Is this it? Is this going to be the one?" The blood red eyes squinted, but did not blink. "You know, the timeline where you ' _win'_ and I ' _lose'_?" The dark figure made one step out from their comfortable shadows. "Because that's what Flowey told me."

"heh heh heh heh heh..." The monster replied, his laughs reverberating off of the walls. "why don't you come find out, freak?"

After hearing two familiar voices, Frisk turned over on the floor and peeked around their corner as to see Sans. At the far east of the hall, however, stood a small, human child. Frisk took notice of what this human was wearing, first. A blue, striped shirt. It looked absolutely identical to the one they had worn just the other day, but this one was tattered and dirty.

"He told me you had a secret weapon this time." The dark human pressed on. "Oh boy, I hope it's caring and hugging and frolicking through fields of flowers!" They scoffed darkly. "Fat chance."

Frisk looked closer upon the child opposite to Sans. Squinting tightly, they got a better look at the being's face. Frisk's heart sank in disbelief. It was like looking into a mirror. No, like looking into a haunted house mirror. Still recognizable, but twisted somehow. Still living, but… soulless somehow. Frisk had always taken to heart what Sans had been telling them, but the story was always a little difficult to believe. What they witnessed now was everything the monster had spoken of, and more. Although this human shared their face, their eyes dripped with much intent.

"heh heh," Sans chuckled once more. "you're not usually a talker."

"And you're usually not an utter failure." The human retorted, causing the skeleton to flinch. "Is this what you do? Come by later and later each time until you sleep in till noon? I'm not surprised." The child only received a dark scowl. "Oh well. Better late than never. You've only let me gain more LV by letting me through."

Sans took a small step to the side. "is that so?" He questioned. "fat luck that will do against me, though, heh heh heh."

"Ah, but it was all worth it to see the king die." The child taunted. "You should have seen his face! Never thought I'd see an old man cower like that. I mean, there's you, of course." They joked to themselves. Sans must not have had anything clever to say in return. "And then my best friend showed up! He looked so terrified and happy to see me."

"what a hilarious combination." Sans said sarcastically.

A wide grin stretched across the human's face. "Yes! Flowey told me some very interesting things about you." Putting a hand up to their face as if laughing at a secret. "But my friend Flowey wouldn't tell me everything! He wasn't being a very nice friend." The child wrapped their arm around their stomach, laughing at their own anecdote. "He got all nervous when I questioned him further, so I thought it would be best if I ended his miserable existence." The smile somehow grew even wider, and they looked at Sans directly. "So I shanked him in the face."


	17. Pride

**Chapter 17. Pride**

Time had paused for the skeleton in blue. The dust particles flying in the air had stopped, and everything he knew fell to a halt. The distinct rings of a church bell finally chimed in, and the monster only then remembered to breathe. The dusty air flowed once more, and his muffled hearing came back into focus.

"f..." The skeleton began, suppressing his quivering bones. "flowey… you..."

"Flowey may be my friend," The evil human started up. "But he was foolish to think I would give anyone special treatment."

Sans sat inside himself for a long moment. He had failed yet another fellow monster, even if this one had not been on his good side. It was another life that slipped so swiftly between his bony fingers. He could not bear the thought of losing another one. Not again.

"It's really funny, actually." The child began. "How much you want to stop me. How much you wish to prevent the genocide of your race." The white monster had barely comprehended what they were saying before reflexively dodging a surprise attack.

Sans huffed from the movement. " _cutting_ to the chase, huh?" He joked.

Smiling, the human took a step back, impressed. "Ahahaha… " They laughed, ignoring his quirks. "But in a weird way, it's your fault."

Sans did not want to listen, either. Without even lifting a phalange, white bones had materialized in the air, creating a complex obstacle for the human to climb. The child leapt and bounced between every femur, at this point having memorized the position each would take place.

"Because once I caught wind of what you were doing, what you were planning..." They continued, venom welling up in their voice. "That you gave me a promise..." Stepping closer, but choosing not to attack. "That you would give me a bad time?" The human concluded, baring their vicious fangs. "Ahahahaha! I just KNEW I had to continue! You peaked my curiosity, and you alone became my goal. And boy howdy, do YOU deliver!"

Sans payed no mind to the enemy's heckling. Eye sockets fading black, familiar hell beasts emerged, and their heinous blasts hit the human target less and less.

"It's just so interesting..." The child mocked between attacks. "That YOU are the real reason I'm doing this." They stared deep into the monster's eye sockets, which were empty, hiding any and all emotion. "Something about you makes me want to see you die. Because you wanted to be the one thing standing in my way." The skeleton did not flinch at this, so they mocked him further. "It's ironic. You want to stop all this so badly, and in the end you're the cause of it. How does it feel?"

Tibias and fibulas raced through the air, breaking the wind barrier, and several had made their mark on the human. "heh, is this what cowards do?" Said the skeleton, his face fixed and unchanging. "blame their victims?"

Wincing in pain, the child squinted their face rather tightly, and then relaxed again. They proceeded to walk forward once more as if their skin did not burn. "You could have just walked away." The enemy suggested. "In fact, I thought that you did! But here you are." The human took another swing at the monster, but did not put much effort into the motion, knowing for certain that they would simply miss. "Why didn't you just go into hiding like all the other cowards?" They pressed on, taunting him. "Why don't you just step off of your pedestal for two seconds, huh? Maybe if you had just swallowed your pride, your brother wouldn't be dead."

The human would not be permitted to speak any longer. Raising up one bony hand, the dark human's chest emitted a bright blue, and they smiled quite ominously, believing that their punishment would be worth it. In a flash, the child's body was ripped from where it stood, and they were forced against the stinging wall. Glowing bones burst from each side, and the small human was quick to evade the jagged femurs.

The opponent was not given a break. Sans' teeth grew to a disquieting smile, and his left eye socket blinked rapidly in an array of changing colors. His enemy's body was thrown mercilessly around the hall, their limbs falling more and more limp from every additional impact.

Sweat pouring down his skull, Sans gave himself a moment of rest. "so is that what you thought of me?" He asked weakly, huffing loudly from exhaustion. "i just wasn't that important to you in the first place, huh?" He sighed heavily. "i was just the funny guy."

Having dropped their weapon, the human crawled towards the dagger, throbbing. They clenched tightly around the handle, but did not rise up again.

White energy blew through the human. Hell beasts had emerged, and their spits of torture came blasting in, successfully hitting the target, who just rolled over in anguish.

"i was just in the background to you." Sans noted, his expression shady. "everyone else… they were the ones that mattered, but not me." He lamented in acceptance, looming over the bleeding human. "you didn't care that i even existed until i put my foot down."

A sharp swing of a silver blade flew out, attempting to hit the skeleton's tibia. Sans' body vanished in an instant, and the human looked up to be sure that they were seeing correctly. The white monster reappeared, stomping on the small child's head, causing them to yell a high pitched grunt in discomfort, and the monster vanished into thin air once more.

The human rose up in a fit of rage, and glanced around the room, desperately searching for their victim. "Playing dirty, huh, you fat sinner?" They sneered in irritation.

Sans appeared once again, but comfortably within the shadows of the corridor. He only let his presence be known through the faint white specs floating inside his eyes. "i never wanted any of this." He admitted softly. "i never wanted to have to become something i'm not. all because of you." Sans stepped forward, so as the golden light could illuminate his skull. "because you stuck your dirty nose where it didn't belong," The skeleton walked closer and closer. "and if i hadn't intervened, who would?"

The wicked human didn't answer. They reached into their torn pocket and pulled out something small. Their burnt hands held a soft looking item, one in which they placed in their mouth and began to chew. "I guess we both play dirty." A malevolent grin beaming from their bruised face. "But that's your fault, isn't it?" They asked slyly, sticking their tongue out and winking.

A wall of sharpened femurs burst through the tiled floor, attempting to cut through the human's body. Having recovered, they closed their eyes and followed along their well rehearsed dance around every humerus. The child did not feel the pain of even one attack. After the wave of fibulas had subsided, the small child gave their fellow skeleton a knowing and mysterious smile.

Sans absorbed the sinister expression. He felt his body growing weak with fatigue, having let his efforts be fueled by raw anger. "you make me sick." Sans spat, aching in his bones. "you're the one to blame for all of this, not me."

The human thrust another effortless swing, to which the white monster still gave his all as to not get hit.

Sweating anxiously, Sans knew he couldn't keep it up for much longer. "you… you better give up," He huffed, retreating to his last resort. He felt that he would regret this decision. "give up and go home..." San pressed on, exhausting all of his energy at this point. He simply could not continue at this rate, and he would have to be dependent on his backup plan. "or i'm gonna have to use my secret weapon."


	18. Twin

**Chapter 18. Twin**

The corridor lay in shambles. Golden tiles were ripped from their base and in pieces. Walls were scarred from jagged bones, and the pillars were crumbled and burnt black, still emitting smoke in the aftermath. A beautiful hallway, once a room for peace and love, now used as a repeated battlefield for a pair of monsters, depending on one's definition of the term.

A shrill chuckle echoed throughout the hall, making the room's silence flee. "Your secret weapon?" The small human doubted. "Go ahead. I'm dying to see it."

The skeleton hesitated. Was it really the right time to do this? Would this unexpected plan really pull through? Questions upon questions arose inside his skull, rapidly clouding his better judgement. He couldn't be certain, as what he had prepared should defy the laws of time and tear away at the fabric of space.

"my secret weapon..." Sans formulated, unmoving.

The roughed human placed in the east hall stood impatiently, confident that they would be greeted with an anti-climax. Their arms were folded across their chest, dagger still clenched in one hand, growing rather bored.

"frisk." Sans breathed.

Startled for just a moment, the dark human scoffed at this. If it were an attempt to reach out to their soul, it wasn't going to work.

The monster in azure put his foot down. "stay determined!"

The dirtied child rolled their eyes condescendingly. "Oh, I'm determined." They muttered, moving forward in preparation for their turn to strike.

Hearing a subtle noise in the distance, the enemy stopped. Sans let out a soft chuckle, anticipating the moment of his weapon's reveal. Emerging promptly from the shadows as conducted, a small figure appeared besides Sans, standing straight and tall. However, they were no taller than the human who held tight to their dagger. The skeleton's companion was but a child, a human seemingly no different than the one filled to the brim with murderous intent. In fact, this child had matching hair, a matching face… though their expression was rather vacant.

The two children glared at one another for a long moment, the dark one analyzing the pathetic excuse for a twin. This human did not even wear proper clothing. Long pajama bottoms and a hand-me-down shirt, wearing the image of a cuddly teddy bear. This child did not have so much as socks to cover their naked feet. Aside from the poor attire, there was something else amiss about this strange human. Something missing. Something downright hilariously missing.

Clenching their stomach, the human in the striped shirt howled with laughter. Sans and his human companion looked at one another, a tad addled at the response the two received. Wiping the tears from their eyes, the shady human interjected. "Ahahahaha, _wow_." They began, trying to calm themselves at the sight of a child whose face matched theirs. "I knew you were cruel, Sans, but now I know you are downright evil!"

The skeleton was sorely caught off guard by his enemies musings, but felt it better to roll with it. "what makes you say that, punk?" He inquired.

Still laughing a little, the child replied. "That human you kidnapped from their timeline, of course!" They pointed out, gesturing their knife towards their reflection. "Maybe they would stand a chance against me, but you recruited the absolute worst one." The human clapped slowly, shaking their head in disbelief. "Bravo, Sans, bravo!"

"quit it." Sans insisted. "they're just as capable as you." Although he still looked down to his side, his friend standing just as uncertain.

"Oh, what, you haven't figured it out yet, numbskull?" His opponent taunted. He wasn't clear what the human was talking about, to which they were certain to make it clear. The dark child sighed, and continued, very smug. "When the eighth human fell into the underground, they're not the same. When tiny wittle Frisk fell into the underground, they were no longer alone. ' _Frisk_ ' is no longer one soul."

The white monster appeared to be distracted by this, contemplating. Being an opportunist, the human took a deadly swing with their blade. The child did not get far before their fist felt a sharp burn, and they jolted back in surprise. Between the human and their two victims, a wall of light blue bones materialized; a static wall of energy preventing either party from crossing.

"What a fool you are." The demon child started up, unphased by their opponent cheating his way out of death once more. They raised up their blade again, pointing accusatively at the fragile human just out of their reach. "The Frisk you know is only strong because of me. I've always been there!"

The skeleton laughed loud and deep. "what are you playing at, imp?" He questioned. "there's no way..."

"Ah yes." Interrupted the evil child. "Even when Frisk first fell down here and got chummy with a skeleton or two and hugged every disgusting beast they saw and frollicked in the fields of friendship..." They ranted on, their voice falling more and more disdainful as they pressed on. "I was there, keeping them alive through it all." They lofted, presenting a knowing smile. "Your precious happy ending on the surface…? That was me too."

Sans raised his scapulas, rather exasperated. "you're lying." He argued.

"Oh, am I?" The venomous child retorted, haughty. "Why don't you ask that tiny meat bag you brought with you?" Their eyes darting to their other half, daggers in their stare. "Huh Frisk? Have you heard any voices since you've been here?"

The innocent one shook roughly in their pajamas, and could not maintain eye contact. Frisk gazed downward at their chilled toes, afraid and confused by all of the commotion. Recoiling into themselves, Frisk could not disagree.

"See?" The evil human said, rather proud of themselves. "If you had pulled a Frisk from a correct parallel timeline, you would have gotten yourself a strong one." Smiling to themselves conceitedly. "A Frisk who knew how to fight me. One with me guiding them."

"quit it, you brat!" Sans interjected, quite annoyed by his enemies goading.

"Oh Sans, you really know how to flatter a person." The enemy sneered. They turned on their heel, and began to walk slowly to one end of the bone barrier. "Your little friend there is useless without a second soul." The skeleton's gaze darted from human to human, attempting to understand his disadvantage. "That's right, Sans. Two souls. Well… more like a soul and a half, in a way. It gets a little complicated, I doubt you'd understand."

Sans addressed his friend, concerned. "are you… one soul?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Frisk shook their head vigorously. "Well… I think so..." The innocent one replied, a bit shaken. "I don't think I have anyone else in here..."

Pacing back the other direction, the wicked child rose their voice. "But to your credit, you've really impressed me today!" Each step echoing with confidence. "I longed dearly for something different… and seeing YOU make that move? That really makes my day, so thanks."

"you're just afraid you're gonna lose." The skeleton declared through his ivory teeth. "you've met your equal this day." He said with a bony fist in the air, trying to intimidate his opponent.

Walking back towards the center, the dark child laughed ominously. "Oh my, I haven't thanked you enough," They answered softly, their hands rested behind their back. "Thanks for bringing me some free EXP." Turning their attention to their twin, subtly licking their lips. "I don't have to worry about this one messing with our reset battle."

Both figures hiding behind the wall of cerulean bones took a step backwards in discomfort. "what?!" Sans called into question, sweat falling down his skull.

"C'mon, skeleton." The enemy alluded, a touch irked at their opponent's ignorance. With one hand rested on their hip, the other hand waved a silver blade in the direction of the child opposite to them. "That human may have determination, but not enough to not die if I were to shank them or anything."

Frisk flinched from the dark human's threats, and retreated into the skeleton's jacket. Sans held onto them protectively, and attempted to comfort them as best he could. He felt even worse now, having brought such a fragile, innocent youth.

The human shaped monster continued, having now gotten under their reflection's skin. "Frisk was never the one who reset after each and every heart breaking death." They leaned in closer to the wall of glowing bones, being careful not to touch them. "It was me all along. It is I who resets."

Sans could only look down at his friend, whose fists clenched tightly into his cobalt jacket, and quivered in fear of their twin. His heart sank more painfully within his ribs. He was fighting a losing battle, and he feared more innocent blood might be spilt before his very eyes.

"And you, Sans?" A wicked voice arose. "You just brought an innocent wittle kid to a battle where they will die."

His grip around the small one turned tighter, Sans attempting to arrange his thoughts to a new plan of action, but to no avail.

The evil human leaned back, but still very close. "So..." Very satisfied with themselves, they raised up both hands, one holding a handle, and the other with its finger extended, slowly and dangerously stroking the sharpened edge of their blade. "...How much EXP are you worth?"


	19. Game

**Chapter 19. Game**

Dust flew gently through the air, the tiny specs being illuminated by the marigold windows. Slow as it glide, eventually will it settle on the ground, like all things. The orange and yellow tiles below, though clouded in a thin layer of dust, still shined bright the reflections of the corridor's warmth.

Straight through the middle of the great hall from north to south, a barrier blocked the way. A static wall of bones glowing a pale blue; a fence that dared not be crossed without threat of pain.

Towards the west of the hall were two figures. One, a small, rounded skeleton who strongly wore a padded jacket lined with fur. By his side cowered a small child who shook like a leaf beneath their thin pajamas.

On the other side of the blue wall towards the east end stood another small child, one who shared the same face as their new target; one who appeared human only in looks.

The ivory skeleton leaned down to his friend so as the two could carry a private conversation. "you should probably get out of here," The monster whispered sternly. "while you still have the chance."

Although they trembled, the child shook their head, almost offended. "I'm not leaving you." They breathed. "I can do this. Just let me do this."

"frisk," The skeleton hushed through his teeth seriously. "it's okay to be scared."

"I'm not scared!" The young one insisted. Their friend looked down on them, and Frisk knew then that they were a terrible liar. "Sans…" The words slipped out, having to admit their true feelings. "...I'm terrified."

Sans smiled sadly and relaxed for a moment, nudging the child's shoulder weakly. "me too, kid." He assured. "which is why this needs to be dealt with." The bags beneath his eye sockets only seemed to grow larger. "and that's why you shouldn't be here. i shouldn't have you here to worry about on top of all this."

"Sans, your face..." Frisk blurted, concern welling up in their throat.

The white monster waved his phalanges nonchalantly. "it's always like that."

Frisk shook their head vigorously. "No. You're getting tired, aren't you?" They asked, reaching out to his cheekbones. "You've been fighting for a long time… haven't you…?"

Sans brought up his bony hand to cover theirs, cherishing the warm touch against his skull. "you got me, pal." He chuckled. He closed his eye sockets, and a deep yawn rose up from his ribs. "my magic wall isn't gonna hold for much longer..." Sans remained very still attempting to rest, inhaling through his nasal bone. "i'm so tired..."

Frisk raised their head to gaze through the blue bone barrier, where the adversary stood waiting, slowly stroking their knife with fragile skin. The child in the striped shirt maintained their position farther away and did not seem as if making an effort to listen. Scarlet eyes peered through shaggy bangs, awaiting oh so patiently for their victims to crack.

"Sans," The innocent one announced. "I can do this." The skeleton perked up at this, subtly shaking his cranium discouragingly. "I need you to have faith in me, Sans." Frisk assured. "I need you to trust that I can help. I need you to believe in me."

"believe..." Sans whispered more to himself. Lost in thought, a friendly image came to mind. Another monster in likeness to himself smiled in his sight, and he was overwhelmed with joy and sorrow at the notion. Teeth pulled wider, he let out a heavy sigh from a heavy heart. "i believe in you, kid." He finally murmured.

The small child beamed, very happy to have been granted permission to do something from a person older than them. "Thank you, friend." They muttered. Standing straight up and facing the glowing wall, Frisk spoke up in a loud voice so they could be heard clearly by all. "Take down the wall."

"but frisk!" Sans shouted in surprise.

"Don't wait for your energy to fizzle out." They ordered. "Get your rest. It's my turn."

Sans looked up at his friend, and then to the blue fence, then to the wicked human beyond, and finally back at the fence. Staring at it only became a reminder of how much it was sapping his strength, and deep down he knew Frisk was right.

The cerulean wall of bones vanished into thin air.

"Ahahahahahaa..." The high pitched laugh echoed throughout the hall venomously. "This should be fun." The words spilled from vicious fangs.

Frisk stepped forward to their look-alike and spoke softly. "Frisk," they started up, feeling rather odd saying their own name, let alone talking to a copy of themselves. "Can't we be friends?"

"Friends…?" The doppelganger repeated curiously. "With you? I already have one meat bag as my faithful partner. I don't need another one."

The innocent one pressed further, attempting to make their way over. "Sure you do!" Frisk insisted pleasantly. "Everyone could use more friends!" The child continued walking forward, presenting open arms. "And maybe you don't think you're worth loving..." They trailed off, emotionally recalling the events of their own life, attempting to connect it with their reflection. "But I promise you are. If you don't believe in other people… believe in me. For I am you."

Blood red eyes flicked, the ember glow shaking like a weak light bulb. The wicked human squinted at their clone, having been spoken to in a way they never have. They swiftly shook it off. "What game do you think you are playing?" They questioned in a dead whisper.

"No game." Frisk said soundly. "I'm not Sans. I'm not here to hurt you."

Hesitating for a moment and glaring at the hospitable human, the wicked child smiled rather darkly. "You're sparing me?"

"Of course!" The young one chimed, infallible. "I couldn't hate my own sibling!" Frisk's arms grew wider, ready to give a welcoming hug. "Let's go get some ice cream together, okay?"

Frisk had barely finished their sentence when a deep voice burst in from the other end of the hall. "kid watch out!" Sans had shouted, just as the evil human came forward, not for a warm embrace, but for a deadly swipe at their person.

Just barely evading the attack, Frisk made it out with a large cut past their shoulder. Though the wound did not appear like much, the blade came deep, drawing a lot of blood. Frisk screamed in anguish, the loud noise hurting the ears of all who heard it. The small child gripped their arm as tight as they could muster, and they bit their lips dangerously hard, trying desperately to hold back tears.

"Not quite the same as magic attacks, is it?" The corrupt human taunted. "You're gonna need a little more than a magic hotdog to patch that oopsie up, that's for sure."

Despite the throbbing pain in their flesh, Frisk got up on their feet again, still clenching tightly to their arm. "You… you're misunderstood." They poised to their mirror image. Knees shaking, Frisk leaned up against a pillar for balance, growing frail. "Only… only I could understand you. What wouldn't a person give for someone like that?"

The enemy smiled and tilted their head slightly, very satisfied with their work. They leaned in to the weak human. "I'd kill for that." They joked, driving their weapon towards their duplicate's face. Frisk rolled over, dodging the malicious swipe. The dark human stopped for a moment, their knife wedged into the crumbling pillar. They struggled to rip out the handle, but their body was quickly sent to the ground. Frisk had tackled them over, severing them from their dagger.

"Quit fighting!" Frisk shouted in their face, perhaps a bit more rudely than they had intended. "Don't you want friends? That's all you've ever wanted, isn't it? You never had any back at home, so..." But it seemed talking wouldn't do any good.

"Friends only get in my way." The human in the striped shirt replied, pinned to the floor. "A waste of oxygen, the whole lot of'em!" They concluded. Reaching up, they grabbed Frisk's shoulders and rolled over once more, becoming the enemy with the upper hand. "Let's start with _yours_."

A tight grip had found its way around Frisk's neck, and the fingers began to squeeze. Recently acquainted with the gesture, Frisk _hated_ this sensation. The memories came flooding back as their airway was cut off and their lungs began to burn excruciatingly. Remembering how they got out of the last one, they raised up their feet and gave their assailant a swift kick in the chest.

It didn't work.

Frisk had thought that the two should be matched in strength, but upon ripping away at the choking hands, they discovered that this human was stronger, and they had no intention of letting go. Frisk's vision fell red and faded to black.

Air had painfully and abruptly made its way back inside Frisk's body. Their twin was no longer upon them, and they rolled over on the ground, coughing hoarsely. Looking up to see what had happened, the enemy lie a few feet away, a single large femur lodged into their side.

The dark child stood up and ripped the bone out from their bleeding flesh and spit on the tiles below. "Cheating as always, I see. Ahaha..." After but a moment, they fell to their knees, exhausted from their angered rough housing.

Frisk whispered very quietly to themselves. "This is my chance." In dirty pajamas, they crawled over to the other child in preparation for their next move. They wanted to offer this person a hug of acceptance.

Something was off, however. Talking didn't do any good, and hugging felt amiss as well. Simply not fighting didn't show much favor, either.

Frisk searched deep inside themselves, looking for a bold new action to take. Something that they hadn't tried before. After a brief moment of pondering, it came to them. "Save." They whispered. " _Save_." The ominous word repeated in their mind.

The cruel human looked up at their reflection weakly. "...What are you doing…?"

Frisk wasn't quite sure themselves, but they followed their gut. The innocent child reached out to the other human's chest, which glowed a stunning crimson, and in a blinding flash, everything turned pure white.

The lost soul stands there.


	20. Soul

**Chapter 20. Soul**

Empty.

There was no floor, no walls or ceiling. There was no color, no light, no air. There was nothing.

No sensation. No sight. Not even the feeling of existence. For a time.

Minutes passed, and within the abyss of nothingness, a small human child glided. After a time, their body twitched slightly, attempting to regain consciousness. A deep, but weak breathe came in through their gaping lips, and their hazy eyes struggled to open. They shut their lids again, squinting tightly from the blinding white that pierced their fragile vision.

Slowly forcing motion into their numb limbs, the child tried to wipe their face and eyes as to regain sensations. Putting small hands to their cheeks, they felt nothing. They patted their face and rubbed away at their lashes, and yet still nothing. Not being able to feel was a rather strange feeling.

"Frisk." An ominous sound occurred, almost sounding like a voice.

Frisk forced their eyes awake, but everything was as bright as ever.

"Frisk?" The sound still quite muffled, but getting clearer. "Can you hear me?"

The child patted down their body and pulled on their hair, trying desperately to feel existence or even pain. They jabbed at themselves trying to understand what was real. "He… Hello…?" Frisk croaked. Their throat was still damaged from the fight they had gotten themselves into, though they did not feel the painful scratching within their voice. "Is someone there…?"

Fading away, the white void gradually subsided. Everything fell to a solid black, existence turning to shadow. It was then that Frisk noticed that they were floating, and jolted from the subtle fear one experiences right before a fall.

"You found me." The indistinct sound announced. Frisk turned their head around looking for the source. They found it. A pure white silhouette several feet away, floating just as they were, but more composed in posture. Frisk flailed their arms wildly for a moment, attempting to swim over to the form, but they did not glide through a fluid one could swim through.

"Who are you?" Frisk begged. Just then, the momentum of their motions drifted them closer to their acquaintance in the void. "What's going on?"

The pure white figure laughed softly. "I understand you have many questions." The glowing one slouched in discomfort. "I am you."

Frisk did not reply, still confused by the answer they had received. Frisk leaned in closer to see the being they were conversing with. Still no color, only the purest of black and white. Shapes began to form, however, as the body and clothing of this person strung together to create an unsettlingly familiar image.

Having not heard a response, the form continued. "I am Frisk."

Skeptical, Frisk finally spoke up. "Another 'Frisk'?" They huffed at their unnecessarily complicated situation. "How many of me are there?"

The black and white figure giggled innocently. "Just the two, I'm pretty sure." The soul put their hand up to their cheek in mild amusement, but Frisk could not see it. The glowing white figure, although normal otherwise, had their face completely concealed. White squares danced around in unpredictable patterns, crawling together into a cluster that hid the soul's entire face. A race of waving pixels, like a monitor's static.

"Just the two…?" Frisk asked, uneasy. "But you're nothing like that other person… Who were we fighting?"

The soul's face glitched sharply at this. "I understand your confusion. It didn't make much sense to me when I first met a soul who looked almost like myself." Their body turned slightly, looking away. "And I'll bet it's even more confusing from your perspective." The lost soul let themselves float away slightly, growing uncomfortable in the world they were trapped in. "The less kind person you met was not me. And they are not you." They turned completely away, looking longingly into the empty abyss. "The bad person we know is Chara."

Tilting their head a tad befuddled, they repeated the strange name. "Chara? Is that some sort of demon?"

"No!" The white soul insisted, but they quickly lost their tension. "Well… in behavior, I suppose." The lost soul shook its head. "I've tried so hard to save everyone… to save Chara… to save Asriel… my limitations have left me with mind-numbing repetitions and broken hearts."

Frisk folded their arms, a bit puzzled by yet another reflection spouting nonsense. "Why doesn't anyone around here explain things that make sense...?" Muttering more to themselves, slightly irked.

"I'm sorry," The glowing figure replied. "I'm not so good at explaining things. You understand." Frisk thought for a moment, but then had to agree. "Resetting. You have heard of it?"

"Y-yeah!" Frisk blurted! "Is it some sort of magic? Everyone seems to expect me to have magic that I don't..."

White pixels sparked wildly. "It is a very powerful magic, yes." The soul came closer, assuring comfort within their presence. "It is an extension of one's awareness of the universe. One's ability to break reality."

"Hmm..." Mumbled the innocent child. "Does Sans have this power? He seems like he does, and he hasn't told me everything, I know it."

The pixels shook their head knowingly. "No. It can only be summoned by those with broken or lost souls. One's who are… empty. I have seen it used only by one other." The soul rubbed its hands together nervously. "The golden flower."

"You mean Flowery?" Frisk asked, piecing it all together.

The soul fell silent for a moment, and a soft noise could be heard from their breathe. A suppressed laugh. "Yes." They replied, a tad deadpan.

"Of course," Frisk concluded. "Sans expected me to have some sort of power… Flowery expected things of me too..." The child trailed off, gathering their thoughts in frustration. "Everyone expects me to be something I'm not."

"Do not place the blame on your friends." The glowing figure insisted. "Sans was looking for me the whole time."

Frisk crossed their arms. "Oh, so I'm not good enough."

"That's not what I meant." Sparked the dancing pixels. "Sans is just a bit lost… he needs your guidance. He needs his friend." The soul saw that they were not quite getting through to their sibling. "He's worked so hard… I know he wished to have the power I was given."

"So..." The little human began. "Why do you have this power that I don't? Are _you_ empty?"

The soul shook their pixelated face in sorrow and brought up their hands. "Chara tricked me." They said, looking down at their palms. "The underground proved very dangerous. I thought I could handle it, but Toriel was right. I should have been dead before reaching Snowdin." Looking up, the soul realized once again what they were saying did not make sense to their audience. "I mean… I should be dead."

Frisk tilted their head curiously. "Aren't you dead right now?" They questioned to the lost soul. "Because you look kind of dead."

The white silhouette chuckled weakly. "No, I am alive, and only because of Chara." They clenched their fists tightly. "Their power allowed me to arise, even if I was killed." They wrapped their arms around themselves, shuttering at the thought. "I've died so many times."

"I see..." Frisk replied, though feeling incredibly uncomfortable by the idea of death.

"But because of Chara..." The soul continued. "I was able to finish my journey! I was able to free all of the monsters from the underground! Everyone was so happy." The souls voice was filled with cheer from their anecdote. "I had so much fun with all of my friends, and I never wanted it to end." They looked up past Frisk, gazing deeply into the distance. "Chara told me it didn't have to end. That our reset powers would bring us back to the beginning, and I could meet my friends all over again. And I did! Again and again!" The glowing soul slouched in sadness. "But it became kind of… bittersweet, you know? All these people that I knew so well and loved… but they didn't know me."

Frisk was taken aback by the final part. "Oh..." They finally spoke up. "I think… I think that's how Sans feels about me, doesn't he...?"

The lost soul breathed in agreement. "I have no doubt." White pixels turning up to look at the human. "I never wanted it to end. I was so selfish." They admitted, bringing their hands to their head in dismay. "Chara told me… that I could do something different if I wanted to see something different… something _awful_." The white pixels danced chaotically, vibrating faster in distress. "Chara told me to kill my friends. To kill _everyone_."


	21. Wisdom

**Chapter 21. Wisdom**

White.

Loneliness.

Fear.

In the vast abyss, the air seemed to have all but gone away. Attempting to breathe once more, a small child clenched their chest, floating in the void. In the sea of black and white, a figure stood, equal in stature to the innocent one. A silhouette of dancing pixels whose face could hardly be seen. A lost soul whose voice could barely be heard.

The child called Frisk began to move their lips in hopes that a sound would come out, although they weren't entirely sure that they wanted it to. "Well..." Their voice shook. "You would never do that..." The child's voice growing more hoarse as they proceeded. "You would never _kill_ people… right?"

A cluster of static flickered uncontrollably, its rational thought shaking just as heavily. "Frisk," The lost soul admitted sadly. "...that's what I said, too." The black and white stripes of the soul's shirt quivered, and it raised up its arms, holding itself for stability. "You wouldn't understand."

Frisk shook their head, a bit offended by the statement. "I think you would know more than anyone."

The white form looked up at their counterpart. It knew as well as Frisk that they were capable of understanding, so long as proper context was provided. The soul nodded its head. "You're right," It replied. "Hurting anyone is not something I would ever do intentionally." The glowing figure curled up on itself and turned away slightly. "But Chara… they're surprisingly… persuasive."

The innocent youth grew uncomfortable with the soul's reports. "I'm afraid," Frisk inferred. "What kind of things could a person say to convince someone to do… something they would never consider?"

"I know exactly what you mean," The soul assured lowly. "It's because of our shared power. The ability to reset time..." It continued, relaxing its tense shoulders. "Chara told me that when we reset, all the way, that is… that anyone who had fallen down would be brought back to normal." The lost soul saw Frisk's expression towards this notion, one of skepticism. "And it was true!" It assured. "Because I did hurt someone, and… I was so terrified by my actions, I just had to do whatever I could to fix it." The white image shook their fists at themselves, both excited and scared. "Chara didn't lie. I reset out of fear and guilt, and it was as they said! Monster's who had turned to dust… by my hand… the creatures were okay! And none of them remembered me."

"So..." Frisk started up accusatively. "Because you could reset, you thought it was okay to hurt people...?" They said rather bluntly, before realizing how rude they might have sounded.

"I know how it sounds," White pixels dancing over the souls tears. "I haven't made very many good decisions in my life. But I'm not gonna pretend this is one of them." It brought its hands up to its face, as if the glitched static was not enough to conceal their uncontrollable emotions. Its voice finally cracked. " _I'm such a horrible person_."

Frisk's heart sank deep within their chest, and a large lump swelled up painfully in their throat, preventing them, too, from speaking properly. "No you're not..." Frisk croaked, losing themselves as well. "It's okay..." They attempted to ease the soul. Frisk drifted closer to comfort their twin.

"Th-thank you..." The lost soul sniffed. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to fall apart like that..." The entity wiped away at their face, which probably would have been bright red, had it not been for the lack of hue in the environment. "You're reminding me of what a true friend is." The soul started up. "True friends are there to comfort me… and make me feel loved. I can't believe I have forgotten..."

Holding the soul close, Frisk perked up. "How could you ever forget a friend?"

The soul wiped thoroughly away at its nose. "I thought Chara was my friend." Its voice cracking under the pressure. "Chara would go on and on about how they were my closest friend… That they chose me to borrow their reset abilities. And in turn, that they should borrow control over my body. I didn't trust them at first, of course, but when you have a voice in your head that is very persistent…? It can get pretty grating after awhile." The soul sighed deeply from the words overflowing from its breath. "Chara told me I could live a life with no consequences, and after some time… I believed them. They made me believe their lies over and over. Chara is manipulative and cruel, and I'm a fool for having let them into my life this way..." Broken squares danced disjointedly, the white figure curling in on itself. "But… all I was really trying to do in the end… was gain _their_ trust. I wanted Chara to see that I was _their_ friend. All I really wanted to do was save them…" It explained in a higher tone, its personal assurance wavering. "But they played me, and that's what really makes me a fool."

Frisk listened for a long time, completely uncertain of how to respond. "I'm… so sorry that happened to you." Their voice shaking, doubtful that such a response was even helpful. "To think that... there could be one person incapable of saving… especially someone as determined as you… or me."

The lost soul sniffed under its breath. "Thank you, Frisk..." It started up shakily. "I envy you."

The child stumbled over their thoughts, a bit caught off guard by their reflection's statement. "E-envy? Why on earth would you envy me?" Frisk asked tentatively, pulling on their short hair. "If anything, I'm jealous of you! You're from a ' _normal_ ' timeline, and I'm stuck where I don't belong."

The soul shook its pixelated face. "There's no such thing as a 'normal' timeline, Frisk." It insisted confidently. "There are only timelines that are more similar than others." It paused, debating upon itself. "Listen." The lost soul started up. "Perhaps I am not too keen on the idea of not leaving our… situation behind, and running off to Mt. Ebott," The souls voice slowed as it calculated its choice in words. "But you have something that you've lost in other timelines… something that cannot be regained with resets… something precious."

"I don't understand." Frisk blurted out. "You've gained so many friendships and experiences… and I feel like I've been left behind on everything. I feel clueless and lost."

"Don't be." Their sibling insisted softly. "Those feelings you have are not weakness. In fact, they are a valuable strength."

Frisk shrugged, their mind exhausted. "I don't see how."

The lost soul drifted closer, hoping to express its comforting message. "You are innocent, Frisk."

The child perked up at the soul, their skin feeling something for the first time; a small shock. "Me?" Frisk asked, faltering.

Disconnected static nodded gently. "You are an innocent one, Frisk. Don't be so eager to lose that."

Frisk shook their head wildly, unconvinced the soul was telling the whole truth. "Is that your way of hiding things from me? To keep me in the dark?" The small child insisted. "You sound like a grownup."

"You're mistaken, my friend." The white soul let out. It raised up its hands, and looked down upon its tainted palms sadly. "Though it is true. I have gained relationships and experiences… much more than I would have imagined…" It clenched its fists tightly. "But all of that was my destiny, not yours." The soul rested its tight fists by its side. "Experience is the greatest teacher, but in the real world, learning isn't always a good thing." The soul lowered its head in lament. "It was far too soon for me. I'm too young to have had the experiences I did… and yet here I am." White static raised up just slightly to look at the youth before it. "You see, wisdom is a valuable thing, but innocence holds just as much value. One cannot be wise and innocent at the same time. One value cannot coexist with the other." The soul stood up straight and certain. "And… once innocence is gone and wisdom is in its place… it can never be regained again." It breathed heavily, coming to its conclusion. "So please… place value on your innocence while you still have it."

Frisk analyzed the words for a long time. Their thoughts weaved around inside their head aimlessly, and they swam inside their mind searching for something to say. "I suppose..." Frisk opened their mouth slowly. "Perhaps you are right. I should listen to you." The child continued, still cautious in their words. "I wouldn't lead me astray… would I?"

The lost soul let out a faint chuckle. "No." It assured. "You would have other souls to worry about doing that."

"Chara!" The child called out in recollection. "You have to save them!"

White static drooped in sadness. "Chara cannot be saved." The soul spoke up. "Not by me, anyway. They do not want to be saved."

"What?" Frisk accused. "But you've saved everyone else! Why would this kid be any different?"

"I understand your frustration, Frisk." The white form defined. "But Chara is their own anomaly. And my determination is… unstable. I've lost hope to save them." The soul slouched in defeat. "I've given up."

"No, you can't give up yet!" Frisk insisted, a bit frenzied.

"I know, you're right. But the truth is that I have… in this timeline." The soul wiped the tears from its eyes, and looked up towards its sibling, smiling brightly. Although its face still could not be seen. "But I'd like to think… perhaps in another timeline… Chara _does_ accept my friendship… that Chara _can_ be saved."

The pair stood in silence. Though a happy thought, the bittersweet feelings hung in the air.

"So..." Frisk began, unsettled with their train of thought. "What are we supposed to do about Chara?" The innocent one asked, nervously.

"What is it that you want?" The lost soul insisted. "Do you want to kill them?"

Frisk stumbled over themselves, surprised at the notion. "What? No! I mean… That's what Sans was trying to do, so..."

"I suppose it's probably for the best if you don't. I know a way you can. That is, if that's what you want." The soul glanced down at their side. "I mean, doing so would kill me, too… But I wouldn't mind that so much… I'm pretty much just as guilty..."

"No, no, no!" Frisk spat at their twin. "Stop feeling so down on yourself!" The two gazed upon one another. Frisk finally spoke up once more. "Oh… I see where you're coming from… _Frisk_."

"It's okay." The static soul mumbled back. "At least someone understands me."

Frisk played with their hands awkwardly, fidgeting. "We need to get rid of Chara." Frisk announced a little more sternly. "In a non-violent way."

The lost soul pondered for quite some time. It had spent so long contemplating its own death. A permanent one. A punishment it had long since convinced itself deserving. After seeing the child growing impatient, an idea finally sprung in its head. "Chara won't reset the timeline." The white soul announced, settled. "I know Chara better than their own mother could." It continued. "I know how to get Chara to go away for good. But you're not gonna like it."

"Anything!" Frisk assured in desperation. "So long as no one has to get hurt."

The soul twiddled its thumbs nervously for a moment, contemplating. "Sans isn't gonna like it either, if he ever finds out..." It whispered to itself.

"What?" Frisk begged the lost soul. "What do we have to do?"

"It's kinda risky… but it might work." The lost soul looked up at Frisk seriously. "Don't tell Sans, okay?"


	22. Awoken

**Chapter 22. Awoken**

Dust hovered throughout the air, gliding ever gentle to the stillness of the room. Darkness crawled in the corners as beams of marigold light poured in, a warm shower of colors illuminating the corridor. Vibrant tiles reflected the figures housed within, whom had all but destroyed the beautiful refuge in their personal wars. A calm after a storm.

Lying on the ground just beside a crumbling column laid two small children, their clothing ragged and dirtied from their conflicts. Both unconscious, one wore thin hand-me-down pajamas; attire only appropriate for night time. The other child laid underneath the first, wearing a very torn up knitted sweater; one that was once a periwinkle blue with two horizontal stripes, now faded from wear. Aside from their differentiating clothing, the two children bore the same face, like identical twins.

Several yards away from the sleeping pair sat an entirely different figure. A monster who had begun to stir before the others. The ivory creature rolled over on his back bone, attempting to rise. Moving proved to be a struggle, the hall echoing the crackling of his joints. The bulky skeleton breathed deeply through his teeth, only to exhale again with a soft sound.

"frisk..." The skeletal creature moaned, attempting to wake his friend. "kid… ya gotta wake up. ya gotta be okay..." Sans pushed himself, laboring to roll over once again. Successfully landing on the front of his ribs, he propped himself up with his ulnae so as to look at the distant pair, now in a position to crawl over to them. "frisk, wake up… please..."

Sans' words appeared to have worked. The innocent one he had pleaded to began to move slightly. Frisk squinted their chilled face tightly and then relaxed, inhaling loudly through their nose. A quiet mumble could be heard, if only faintly.

"frisk?" The monster in blue begged. He dragged his bony body closer, having the need to be at his friend's side. "you okay, bud?"

"Mm," The child uttered in assurance, making their way towards consciousness. "Nnns." Was all that escaped their dry lips. Frisk finally opened their eyes, and they turned over their fragile body. "...Sans?"

"kid?!" Sans exclaimed, relief filling his skull. "what happened back there?" He began his slew of questions early, crawling a little closer. He stopped, however, remembering the other child just beneath. Though they were not yet awake, Sans could not take the chance of coming near them in his crippling state.

Frisk sat up, aches and pains streaming all throughout their body. The child looked down beside them and hesitated before jolting back a bit, recalling the wicked actions of their doppelganger, still lying next to them.

"so..." The monster started up. "did you do it?" Sans paused, uncertainty lining his tone. "i'm honestly not sure what you did, but…" His voice fell to a whisper, keeping quiet as to not wake the enemy. "did you win? did you… _finish the job_?"

Frisk looked up at him, taking a long moment to comprehend what he had just asked. When it finally clicked, the child raised their shoulders and folded their arms, quite put off by Sans' suggestion. "I didn't kill Chara, if that's what you were hoping for." Frisk spat.

"chara…?" Sans accused. "what are you even saying right now?"

"Oh, sorry." Frisk said apologetically. "Chara is the soul that possessed my body and did bad things." The child in pajamas uttered rather quickly. "Well, this Frisk's body anyhow." They shook their head vigorously. "Long story. Never mind all that."

"what? never mind all-" Sans cut his sentence short in bitter frustration. " _never mind all that_?! kid, we don't play with soul business around here! that's kind of a really important detail." He gritted through his teeth, almost shouting.

"Please don't get mad," Frisk pleaded in a tone of remorse, one they often used with grownups that they were fearful of. "It's all over now." They insisted, placing a gentle hand atop the forehead of their twin. Frisk looked down upon their mirror image and smiled weakly, but they soon turned back up at the chubby skeleton. His teeth drooped, the corners of his mouth showing his great disbelief. "You should be smiling." Frisk stated at their friend, his eye sockets lowering. The child pushed him in the right direction. "Aren't you excited?" They beamed. "Aren't you happy?"

Sans gazed at his friend and their counterpart, one still on the ground unmoving, like Sleeping Beauty, if the sleeping one was a demon, he thought. He sighed very deeply, and pushed himself off the ground, resting on his knee caps. "pal, i'm afraid there aren't very many things in this world that can make me happy..." Sans finally muttered. "so… don't be-"

His words hung in the air having been cut off by the noise of a child's moans. The sound however, did not emit from the youth he was conversing with. The wicked human finally came to, their limbs struggling to gain momentum.

"Chara…?" The kind human whispered in a friendly voice. "Are you doing alright?"

"Mn." The waking child moaned. "Mnnnuh?" They continued unintelligibly. Finally opening their eyes, the child jolted up rather quickly, startled to be surrounded the way they were. "Ugh. What are you all staring at?!"

"Good morning, Chara." Frisk greeted with a smile, and yet a hint of nervousness could still be heard in their tone. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

The child in the blue shirt huffed furiously. "What kind of crap are you spouting now?" They hissed. "You're not my mother."

Frisk was taken aback, but pressed on despite their siblings hostile behavior. "Mother's aren't the only people who love and care for others."

Chara stood up swiftly, pushing their twin aside. "I've had enough lectures from you."

Ignoring the reckless response, the innocent one followed their lead and got on their feet as well. "Are you leaving us, then?" Frisk said with a forced hint of sorrow. "We'll miss you."

"Bull." The dark child retorted. "I'm not leaving without… finishing the job." Chara stated, a smile finally forming on their face.

Frisk quickly turned around in a panic and placed both hands on their mirrors shoulders. "No, Chara, it's time to leave!" The child whispered a yell in desperation. "Please!"

The wicked one attempted to walk forward, but was thoroughly blocked by their sibling. Though they could have easily overpowered their enemy, Chara didn't need to. While Frisk held them back, Chara only needed to move their head a little to the side so as to make eye contact with Sans. "That's right, comedian. I'm leaving!" They shouted so as the skeleton would not miss it.

"Chara, don't!" Frisk begged, trying with all their might to push them towards the exit. "Chara, just go! You've won!"

The wicked and dirtied face fell more sinister as it pressed on relentlessly. "I'm leaving for good and I'm never coming back!" The invasive words filled the corridor, and the cruel message slowly sank into the ivory monster sitting just a few feet away. "I'm never resetting the timeline. You'll live down here lost and alone! _And you're never going to see your stupid brother ever again!_ "

Frisk pushed their doppelganger away as hard as they could manage. Stumbling away from the force, Chara regained their balance, slouching. Frisk whispered very quietly, stuttering. "Just go." The child sniffed.

The wicked one reached up with their dirty sleeve and wiped the edge of their mouth, which had a bit of saliva dripping from its corners, and they too sniffed deeply through their nose. Chara looked down at their two enemies and let a moment of silence pass. "Damn right, I won."

With that, the evil child in the striped shirt turned around on their heel and moved onward towards the exit. A subtle laugh could be heard alongside the echos of their rough footsteps, and after a mere few moments, all hints regarding the megalomaniacs existence faded away into nothing.

Frisk shook like a leaf and cupped their mouth, trying desperately to hold it all in. "I'm s-so sorry, Sans," The innocent one whimpered. They squinted their eyes tightly, keeping the tears in. "I didn't mean for this to happen, I..."

The child finally looked down towards their friend, whose image bore a disturbing sight. His eye sockets were empty, cold and stony. He sat on the floor completely paralyzed, and yet his whole skeleton quivered sharply, rattling his bones. Still alive, but dead inside.

Dropping to their knees, Frisk mustered the strength to crawl over to their friend, who surely was in need of his own. The child in pajamas wrapped their tiny arms around Sans in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm so sorry..." Frisk's voice cracked horribly, finally breaking down. "The other Frisk told me this would work… that we would win this way… I really thought it would, but if I had known..." The small one's voice fell numb and mumbling. " _If I had just known… It's all my fault, I'm so, so sorry..._ "

After a minute of indistinct blubbering, the child felt something on their arm. Sans had reached up with his bony hands and held his friend in return. Frisk embraced their friend tighter, though his eyes were just as incapacitated. " _it's no one's fault, kid._ "

Quiet.

The golden corridor lay still, its burning windows losing light. The polished tiles below were smudged with the airs heated moisture and grey dust of dark origins. Mighty pillars that once stood tall and proud were torn apart, their bases in shambles. A hall with so much thought and care now laid to waste after a monster's cruel destruction.

Amidst the center of the vast hall, their frail bodies huddled close together in a worn out embrace. Frisk's tiny body had several cuts, and their skin was badly bruised all over, though some of the purple and blue marks were not recent. The innocent one clenched tightly to their friend, who did not have nearly as many scars, but almost seemed in far worse condition despite it all. He held tightly to his small friend in a protective gesture, but deep down, it was not the child who needed it.

The two held one another for what felt like an eternity. Aching from his quivers, Sans' rattling finally subsided. The two had their rest, their anxious breathing quieted down, and they were almost ready to fall asleep.

Dead silence.

A slow, sharp inhale. Sans finally rose up his skull, drifting away from the child's warm shoulder. He looked down on it in dismay, regretting ever leaving it. "hey," He whispered in a deep voice, the sound so low that no one could hear it, except for the one whose ear was just an inch away.

Frisk cautiously pulled themselves away so as to look up at their friends face; A sight that they feared to witness more than anything else in the world. The skeletons teeth were straight and vague, not smiling, nor frowning. His eye sockets were pitch black; no white specs or fiery glows could be found. The vacant pits in his ivory skull would never be the same.

The child's cheeks had signs of dried up tears, but in that moment, a fresh flood came streaming down. "S-Sans…?" Frisk attempted the words. "I can't express… how _sorry_ I am..." The child huffed, their breathing uneven once more. Sans shook his head, but his friend did not listen. "I can see… I can see how much pain you're in… because of me." Sniffling sharply, the child forced themselves to continue. "I, I can't comprehend it, but I see it, it-it's there! I can see what the other Frisk was warning me about, it… it hurts! It hurts so much, Sans. How do you do it? How can you stand to live this way?"

Sans was off put by such a seemingly mature question. "oh, kid." He uttered, gently patting the top if Frisk's head. "heh. you took the words right outta my mouth." Bowing his cranium, he thought of ways to properly answer his friends question. "pal... there's no real answer to that..." He dropped his arm in bitter defeat. "there is no _living_ with the pain a person feels every day. it doesn't really work. not for me, anyhow." He raised his skull once again, but his eye sockets still bore no light. "but you just gotta think about… the people who love you. the people who make you smile, or the people who smile because of you."

Closing his eye sockets, a vivid image flashed within his mind. Another skeleton, one whose smile washed away all fear and doubt. A grin that will be gone, now and forever, but never so much as forgotten.

"Sans…?" The little human nudged, wondering if their friend had fallen asleep.

Sans looked back down at the child. "heh. just remember those people, those smiling faces." Tilting his face, Sans turned to look out the stained glass window, where through the misty air and trees, he could see a little bird who had just landed on a skinny branch. "do it for them. ya gotta live for them."


End file.
